Thomas Molloy
Encyclopedia
Thomas George Anstruther Molloy (4 October 1852—16 February 1938) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
for the electorate of Perth
from 1892 until 1894, and thereafter became a perennial candidate unsuccessfully standing for Parliament no less than 14 times. He also was the Mayor of Perth in 1908–09 and 1911–12, . He also made a significant contribution to the cultural life of Perth, building the first two theatres in the city including His Majesty's Theatre
which is still open today, as well as numerous hotels.
, Canada
, to John Molloy, a soldier who had served with the Royal Welch Fusiliers
in the Crimean War
and the Indian Mutiny of 1857, and Jane née Curtis. In 1862, they migrated to Western Australia
, where John Molloy served as a pensioner guard supervising convicts who had been transported from the United Kingdom
. Thomas Molloy, meanwhile, attended Christian Brothers College, Perth, and left school at the age of 13 to work at a printing office. He then worked in the cooperative
movement with J.T. Reilly, and became manager of the city cooperative store at the corner of Barrack Street and Murray
Streets. By 1870, his successes enabled him to buy the entire block between Murray and Wellington for £900
.
On 18 February 1873, he married Amelia Littlejohn, with whom he had two daughters and one son. They moved to South Australia
, where he worked as a merchant, but returned to Perth in 1875 where he became a successful baker, not only owning his Goderich Street shop but also 10 two-roomed cottages for his workers. Returning to printing, he worked on the Daily News
from 1881, and then from 1884 became commercial manager for The West Australian
. He became involved in buying and selling real estate in the central and western parts of the city, and by the 1890s with the onset of the gold rush and the resulting flow of capital into Western Australia, this had proved profitable enough an enterprise that he was of independent means and had become one of the largest landowners in Perth. His wife died on 21 April 1888, and he subsequently married Mary Reaney McHale on 23 January 1889, with whom he had two daughters.
, where he represented the Central and West wards until 1906. In December 1891, Dr Edward Scott resigned from the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
seat of Perth
, and Molloy nominated for the resulting by-election
which he won against mayor Edward Keane, and was duly appointed to the vacancy on 13 January 1892. In this, he had been supported by the infant Trades and Labor Council, who were advocating electoral reform, payment of Members of Parliament, prohibition of Asian immigration and introduction of an arbitration court. Being Roman Catholic and not part of the landed classes which dominated the Parliament of that time, he proved to be somewhat populist in character, advocating universal suffrage and public ownership of power and utilities. However, he became embroiled in a controversy regarding education which split the labour movement along sectarian lines. In 1892, the Forrest
government had overseen the creation of a Department of Education under ministerial control, while maintaining state aid to private schools. A National Education League led by prominent Congregationalist George Randell
, led the cause against this, arguing that it was an obstacle to the creation of an efficient education system. In response, the Catholic Vicar General, Father Anselm Bourke
, established the Education Defence League with the assistance of Molloy and fellow Catholic MLAs Timothy Quinlan
and Alfred Canning. The issue became a major one in the 1894 election amongst the voting public, with all three MLAs losing their seats—Molloy being defeated by Randell himself.
After this loss, Molloy unsuccessfully contested the Metropolitan Province seat in the Western Australian Legislative Council
in 1894, when the body became fully elective. He then attempted to re-enter Parliament on a further twelve occasions under a variety of party labels or as an independent
, and then as a Nationalist Party
candidate from 1917 onwards. His last effort was at a by-election for the Metropolitan Province in 1932.
He continued through this period as a Perth City councillor
, serving as mayor of Perth in 1908–09 and 1911–12. He was known as something of a radical, espousing similar causes to those he had supported previously, with a notable achievement during his time as mayor being the ending of Perth Gas Company's monopoly on power and lighting in 1912. He also advocated public ownership of Perth's tramways, but was outnumbered by other councillors—transport remained in private ownership until the advent of the Metropolitan Transport Trust in 1956. He also opposed admission charges to enter public space and sporting events on the Esplanade, and supported the construction of free public baths. After 1912, he tried repeatedly to become mayor again with poor results, being labelled "too stubborn and disputatious to work with".
in 1895, and was appointed in 1897 to the Board of Trustees for the Karrakatta Cemetery. He became chairman of the Board in 1924 and served in that role until 26 October 1937.
He was also instrumental in attracting finance and commissioning some of Perth's early cultural buildings. Up until the 1890s, Perth had no theatres, and actors performed in either the Perth Town Hall
or in St George's Hall, described by The West Australian in 1891 as a place "where there is much that is unsuitable" and "the most significant proof of the old-time backwardness and poverty of Western Australia". At the time Western Australia had 53,177 people—a figure that was to double within the next five years. On 20 September 1893, Molloy purchased Perth Lot F3 on the south side of what is now Hay Street Mall with the assistance of Alexander Forrest
, the then Mayor of Perth, and obtained a publican's licence a week later. In 1894, the Hotel Metropole was constructed on the site, and in February 1895, he announced plans for a 1,000-seat theatre to be built on land adjoining the hotel. The foundation stone was laid by Mrs A. Forrest on 8 May 1895, and the Theatre Royal opened on 19 April 1897. While its initial success was mixed, due mainly to the changing economic and demographic characteristics of Perth, by the 1930s it had become the most popular picture theatre in Perth. It eventually closed in 1977.
By 1901, Perth had become a place of optimism and confidence fuelled by the gold rush. In 1902, after the ascension of King Edward VII
to the English throne, Molloy announced plans for a new theatre at Hay and King Streets, to be known as His Majesty's Theatre. It was completed at a cost of ₤
46,000 by architect William Wolf and builder Frederick Liebe, and for many years boasted the largest stage in Australia. The Heritage Council of Western Australia, which listed the building in 1999, described it as having "the most lavish and well-executed ornamentation of any Federation Free Classical theatre building in Australia".
Molloy went on to build other hotels, such as the Australia Hotel in Perth, the North Beach Hotel, the Brighton Hotel in Scarborough and the Oceanic (later Mosman Park) Hotel.
in 1931—given his anxiousness to become a knight, he went by the title of Sir from this point.
He died at St John of God Hospital, Subiaco
, on 16 February 1938 and, after a requiem mass at St Mary's Cathedral
, was buried in the Roman Catholic section of Karrakatta Cemetery
. He was survived by one daughter from his second marriage.
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
for the electorate of Perth
Electoral district of Perth
The Electoral district of Perth is a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Western Australia. Perth is named for the capital city of Western Australia whose central business district falls within its borders. It is one of the oldest electorates in Western Australia, with its first member...
from 1892 until 1894, and thereafter became a perennial candidate unsuccessfully standing for Parliament no less than 14 times. He also was the Mayor of Perth in 1908–09 and 1911–12, . He also made a significant contribution to the cultural life of Perth, building the first two theatres in the city including His Majesty's Theatre
His Majesty's Theatre, Western Australia
His Majesty's Theatre is an Edwardian Baroque theatre in Perth, Western Australia. Constructed from 1902 to 1904 during a period of great growth for the town, the theatre is located on the corner of Hay Street and King Street in Perth's central business district. At the time the theatre was opened,...
which is still open today, as well as numerous hotels.
Biography
Molloy was born in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, to John Molloy, a soldier who had served with the Royal Welch Fusiliers
Royal Welch Fusiliers
The Royal Welch Fusiliers was an infantry regiment of the British Army, part of the Prince of Wales' Division. It was founded in 1689 to oppose James II and the imminent war with France...
in the Crimean War
Crimean War
The Crimean War was a conflict fought between the Russian Empire and an alliance of the French Empire, the British Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Sardinia. The war was part of a long-running contest between the major European powers for influence over territories of the declining...
and the Indian Mutiny of 1857, and Jane née Curtis. In 1862, they migrated to Western Australia
Western Australia
Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
, where John Molloy served as a pensioner guard supervising convicts who had been transported from the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Thomas Molloy, meanwhile, attended Christian Brothers College, Perth, and left school at the age of 13 to work at a printing office. He then worked in the cooperative
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
movement with J.T. Reilly, and became manager of the city cooperative store at the corner of Barrack Street and Murray
Murray Street, Perth
Murray Street is one of four main east-west roads within the Perth central business district.The street, the central portion of which has become a pedestrian mall, was named after Sir George Murray, Secretary of State for War and the Colonies from 1828 to 1830.It is the one main road in Perth that...
Streets. By 1870, his successes enabled him to buy the entire block between Murray and Wellington for £900
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
.
On 18 February 1873, he married Amelia Littlejohn, with whom he had two daughters and one son. They moved to South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, where he worked as a merchant, but returned to Perth in 1875 where he became a successful baker, not only owning his Goderich Street shop but also 10 two-roomed cottages for his workers. Returning to printing, he worked on the Daily News
Daily News (Perth)
The Daily News was an afternoon daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia from 1882 until 1990, though its origin is traceable from 1840.-Origins:...
from 1881, and then from 1884 became commercial manager for The West Australian
The West Australian
The West Australian is the only locally-edited daily newspaper published in Perth, Western Australia, and is owned by ASX-listed Seven West Media . The West is published in tabloid format, as is the state's other major newspaper, The Sunday Times, a News Limited publication...
. He became involved in buying and selling real estate in the central and western parts of the city, and by the 1890s with the onset of the gold rush and the resulting flow of capital into Western Australia, this had proved profitable enough an enterprise that he was of independent means and had become one of the largest landowners in Perth. His wife died on 21 April 1888, and he subsequently married Mary Reaney McHale on 23 January 1889, with whom he had two daughters.
Political life
In 1884, Molloy was elected to the Perth City CouncilCity of Perth
The City of Perth is a local government area and body, within the Perth Metropolitan Area, which is the capital of Western Australia. The local government body is commonly known as Perth City Council. The city covers the Perth central business district and surrounding suburbs...
, where he represented the Central and West wards until 1906. In December 1891, Dr Edward Scott resigned from the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
Western Australian Legislative Assembly
The Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
seat of Perth
Electoral district of Perth
The Electoral district of Perth is a Legislative Assembly electorate in the state of Western Australia. Perth is named for the capital city of Western Australia whose central business district falls within its borders. It is one of the oldest electorates in Western Australia, with its first member...
, and Molloy nominated for the resulting by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
which he won against mayor Edward Keane, and was duly appointed to the vacancy on 13 January 1892. In this, he had been supported by the infant Trades and Labor Council, who were advocating electoral reform, payment of Members of Parliament, prohibition of Asian immigration and introduction of an arbitration court. Being Roman Catholic and not part of the landed classes which dominated the Parliament of that time, he proved to be somewhat populist in character, advocating universal suffrage and public ownership of power and utilities. However, he became embroiled in a controversy regarding education which split the labour movement along sectarian lines. In 1892, the Forrest
John Forrest
Sir John Forrest GCMG was an Australian explorer, the first Premier of Western Australia and a cabinet minister in Australia's first federal parliament....
government had overseen the creation of a Department of Education under ministerial control, while maintaining state aid to private schools. A National Education League led by prominent Congregationalist George Randell
George Randell
George Randell was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 1873–1875 and 1880–1890, then when representative self-government was achieved in 1890, won the seat of Moore in the new Legislative Assembly...
, led the cause against this, arguing that it was an obstacle to the creation of an efficient education system. In response, the Catholic Vicar General, Father Anselm Bourke
Anselm Bourke
Mgr Anselm Bourke, born Nicholas Bourke, was a Roman Catholic priest of Irish origins. He was prominent in Catholic education for several decades, and also founded the West Perth parish of the Church in 1901...
, established the Education Defence League with the assistance of Molloy and fellow Catholic MLAs Timothy Quinlan
Timothy Quinlan
Timothy Francis Quinlan, CMG was a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1890 to 1911, and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 1905 to 1911....
and Alfred Canning. The issue became a major one in the 1894 election amongst the voting public, with all three MLAs losing their seats—Molloy being defeated by Randell himself.
After this loss, Molloy unsuccessfully contested the Metropolitan Province seat in the Western Australian Legislative Council
Western Australian Legislative Council
The Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. It sits in Parliament House in the state...
in 1894, when the body became fully elective. He then attempted to re-enter Parliament on a further twelve occasions under a variety of party labels or as an independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
, and then as a Nationalist Party
Nationalist Party of Australia
The Nationalist Party of Australia was an Australian political party. It was formed on 17 February 1917 from a merger between the conservative Commonwealth Liberal Party and the National Labor Party, the name given to the pro-conscription defectors from the Australian Labor Party led by Prime...
candidate from 1917 onwards. His last effort was at a by-election for the Metropolitan Province in 1932.
He continued through this period as a Perth City councillor
City of Perth
The City of Perth is a local government area and body, within the Perth Metropolitan Area, which is the capital of Western Australia. The local government body is commonly known as Perth City Council. The city covers the Perth central business district and surrounding suburbs...
, serving as mayor of Perth in 1908–09 and 1911–12. He was known as something of a radical, espousing similar causes to those he had supported previously, with a notable achievement during his time as mayor being the ending of Perth Gas Company's monopoly on power and lighting in 1912. He also advocated public ownership of Perth's tramways, but was outnumbered by other councillors—transport remained in private ownership until the advent of the Metropolitan Transport Trust in 1956. He also opposed admission charges to enter public space and sporting events on the Esplanade, and supported the construction of free public baths. After 1912, he tried repeatedly to become mayor again with poor results, being labelled "too stubborn and disputatious to work with".
Civic and cultural life
Molloy was made a Justice of the PeaceJustice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
in 1895, and was appointed in 1897 to the Board of Trustees for the Karrakatta Cemetery. He became chairman of the Board in 1924 and served in that role until 26 October 1937.
He was also instrumental in attracting finance and commissioning some of Perth's early cultural buildings. Up until the 1890s, Perth had no theatres, and actors performed in either the Perth Town Hall
Perth Town Hall
The Perth Town Hall, situated on the corner of Hay and Barrack streets, is the only convict-built town hall in Australia.Designed by Richard Roach Jewell and James Manning in the Victorian Free Gothic style, the hall was built by convicts and free men between 1868 and 1870...
or in St George's Hall, described by The West Australian in 1891 as a place "where there is much that is unsuitable" and "the most significant proof of the old-time backwardness and poverty of Western Australia". At the time Western Australia had 53,177 people—a figure that was to double within the next five years. On 20 September 1893, Molloy purchased Perth Lot F3 on the south side of what is now Hay Street Mall with the assistance of Alexander Forrest
Alexander Forrest
Alexander Forrest CMG, was an explorer and surveyor of Western Australia, as well as a politician.-Early life:Forrest was born at Picton, near Bunbury in Western Australia, the son of William and Margaret Forrest...
, the then Mayor of Perth, and obtained a publican's licence a week later. In 1894, the Hotel Metropole was constructed on the site, and in February 1895, he announced plans for a 1,000-seat theatre to be built on land adjoining the hotel. The foundation stone was laid by Mrs A. Forrest on 8 May 1895, and the Theatre Royal opened on 19 April 1897. While its initial success was mixed, due mainly to the changing economic and demographic characteristics of Perth, by the 1930s it had become the most popular picture theatre in Perth. It eventually closed in 1977.
By 1901, Perth had become a place of optimism and confidence fuelled by the gold rush. In 1902, after the ascension of King Edward VII
Edward VII of the United Kingdom
Edward VII was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions and Emperor of India from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910...
to the English throne, Molloy announced plans for a new theatre at Hay and King Streets, to be known as His Majesty's Theatre. It was completed at a cost of ₤
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
46,000 by architect William Wolf and builder Frederick Liebe, and for many years boasted the largest stage in Australia. The Heritage Council of Western Australia, which listed the building in 1999, described it as having "the most lavish and well-executed ornamentation of any Federation Free Classical theatre building in Australia".
Molloy went on to build other hotels, such as the Australia Hotel in Perth, the North Beach Hotel, the Brighton Hotel in Scarborough and the Oceanic (later Mosman Park) Hotel.
Later life
His second wife Mary died on 7 February 1925. He was created a papal knight commander of the Order of St. Gregory the GreatOrder of St. Gregory the Great
The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great , was established on September 1, 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election.It is one of the five orders of knighthood of the Holy See...
in 1931—given his anxiousness to become a knight, he went by the title of Sir from this point.
He died at St John of God Hospital, Subiaco
Subiaco, Western Australia
Subiaco is an inner western suburb of Perth, Western Australia, situated to the north west of Kings Park. Its Local Government Area is the City of Subiaco.-History:Prior to European settlement the area was home to the Noongar Indigenous people....
, on 16 February 1938 and, after a requiem mass at St Mary's Cathedral
St Mary's Cathedral, Perth
St Mary's Cathedral is the cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Perth, and seat of its Archbishop, currently Barry James Hickey...
, was buried in the Roman Catholic section of Karrakatta Cemetery
Karrakatta Cemetery
Karrakatta Cemetery is a metropolitan cemetery in the suburb of Karrakatta in Perth, Western Australia. Karrakatta Cemetery first opened for burials in 1899, with Robert Creighton. Currently managed by the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board, the cemetery attracts more than one million visitors each...
. He was survived by one daughter from his second marriage.