William Thomas (1785 – November 5, 1863) was an English-born merchant and politician. Thomas was elected to the
House of Assembly
House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level.
Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible g ...
representing the district of St. John's on the
first general election held in
Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...
in 1832.
Thomas was active in the effort to earn Newfoundland its own parliament and was appointed to the committee "to petition his majesty for a legislature." He was also active in the concerns of the poor, serving on numerous committees to help improve their condition, including work on a commission to assign work to those on welfare.
Thomas was born in
Dartmouth,
Devon
Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
. He came to Newfoundland in 1801 and entered business in partnership with his brother Henry. Thomas was named to the colony's three-person Executive Council in 1833, working on early efforts to establish self-governance for Newfoundland. He returned to England around 1850, and died at
Huyton
Huyton ( ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley, Merseyside, England. Part of the Liverpool Urban Area, Liverpool Built-up Area, it borders the Liverpool suburbs of Dovecot, Merseyside, Dovecot, Knotty Ash and Netherley, Liverpool, ...
.
See also
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List of people of Newfoundland and Labrador
This is a list of notable people who are from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, or have spent a large part or formative part of their career in that province. This list also includes people associated with the former English, and later British c ...
References
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1785 births
1863 deaths
19th-century members of the Newfoundland House of Assembly
People from Dartmouth, Devon
British emigrants to Newfoundland Colony
Newfoundland Colony people
Members of the Executive Council of Newfoundland and Labrador
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