Thomas Foley (14 June 1853 - 16 September 1920) was a member of the

Queensland Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly h ...

Biography

Foley was born in

Swansea Swansea ( ; ) is a coastal City status in the United Kingdom, city and the List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, second-largest city of Wales. It forms a Principal areas of Wales, principal area, officially known as the City and County of ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

, the son of John Foley and his wife Elizabeth (née Edwards) and was educated at the British Admiralty School. He came to

Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...

with his wife and four children in 1883 at a time when vacant houses in the area were scarce and the family had to make do with living in a tent in an area of Townsville known as Canvastown. They eventually moved to a house in Macrossan Street where he lived for the rest of his life. He secured work at first with the

Townsville City Council The City of Townsville is a local government area (LGA) located in North Queensland, Australia. It encompasses the city of Townsville, together with the surrounding rural areas. To the south are the communities of Alligator Creek, Woodstock an ...

and later worked on some of the early brick buildings of the town including the municipal buildings and St James' Cathedral. He later worked on the wharves of Townsville as a stevedore. Foley married he married Mary Harris (died 1931) in Swansea in 1873 and together had seven sons and four daughters. After being seriously ill with heart troubles and asthma for several months he died in Townsville in September 1920 and his funeral moved from his late residence to the West End Cemetery.Burial Details - West End Cemetery
—

Retrieved 5 June 2016.

Public career

An early member of the Waterside Workers Union, Foley was elected as an alderman on the Townsville City Council for the South Ward on two separate occasions. He then stood at the

1907 Queensland state election Nineteen or 19 may refer to: * 19 (number) * One of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019 Films * ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film * ''Nineteen'' (1987 film), a 1987 science fiction film * '' 19-Nineteen'', a 2009 South Korean film * '' Dici ...

as a representative of the Labour Party for the two-member seat of

but was defeated by the Opposition pairing of

Robert Philp Sir Robert Philp, (28 December 1851 – 17 June 1922) was a Queensland businessman and politician who was Premier of Queensland from December 1899 to September 1903 and again from November 1907 to February 1908. Early life Philp was born in G ...

and Patrick Hanran. He stood again at the

1908 Queensland state election Elections were held in the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland on 5 February 1908 to elect the 72 members of the state's Legislative Assembly of Queensland, Legislative Assembly. The election, held less than 9 mon ...

and after leading on the primary vote eventually lost again to the same pair after the postal votes had been counted. He stood again at the

1909 Queensland state election Elections were held in the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland on 2 October 1909 to elect the members of the state's Legislative Assembly of Queensland, Legislative Assembly. This election used contingent voting, ...

and this time was successful, winning the vote and becoming the senior member for the seat. He represented the electorate until it reverted to a one-member seat at the

1912 Queensland state election Elections were held in the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland on 27 April 1912 to elect the 72 members of the state's Legislative Assembly of Queensland, Legislative Assembly. The election was the first for the ...

at which time he switched to the new neighbouring seat of Mundingburra. He went on to represent the people of that electorate until his death in 1920.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foley, Thomas Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly 1853 births 1920 deaths Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Queensland