Thomas Macdonald-Paterson (9 May 1844 – 21 March 1906) was an Australian politician, a member of the

Parliament of Queensland The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the Monarch of Australia and the Legislative Assembly. It has been the only unicameral ...

, and later, the

Parliament of Australia The Parliament of Australia (officially the Federal Parliament, also called the Commonwealth Parliament) is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch (represented by the governor-g ...

Early life

Macdonald-Paterson was born in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated pop ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

, he was educated there privately before migrating to Australia in 1861, where he became a butcher, speculator and lawyer.

Politics

In 1878 he was elected to the

Legislative Assembly of Queensland 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 Assembl ...

as the member for

Rockhampton Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. The population of Rockhampton in June 2021 was 79,967, Estimated resident population, 30 June 2018. making it the fourth-largest city in the state outside of ...

; he transferred to Moreton in 1883 and to the Legislative Council in 1885, remaining there until 1887. He was a delegate to the Federation Convention of 1891, and returned to the Legislative Assembly in 1896 as the member for North Brisbane. In 1901 he transferred to federal politics, winning the

Australian House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Australian Senate, Senate. Its composition and powers are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Austra ...

seat of

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

. Although there was no

protectionist Protectionism, sometimes referred to as trade protectionism, is the economic policy of restricting imports from other countries through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, import quotas, and a variety of other government regulations ...

organisation in Queensland, he joined the

Protectionist Party The Protectionist Party or Liberal Protectionist Party was an Australian political party, formally organised from 1887 until 1909, with policies centred on protectionism. The party advocated protective tariffs, arguing it would allow Australi ...

when the parliament sat. In 1903, the National Liberal Union (a protectionist organisation) endorsed another candidate William Morse in Brisbane, and the division of the protectionist vote allowed a Labor candidate Millice Culpin to defeat Macdonald-Paterson.

Later life

He died in 1906 and was buried in

Toowong Cemetery Toowong Cemetery is a heritage-listed cemetery on the corner of Frederick Street and Mt Coot-tha Road, Toowong, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was established in 1866 and formally opened in 1875. It is Queensland's largest ceme ...

.Paterson Thomas Macdonald
— Brisbane City Council Grave Location Search. Retrieved 17 August 2014.

References

Protectionist Party members of the Parliament of Australia Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Brisbane Members of the Australian House of Representatives 1844 births 1906 deaths Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Members of the Queensland Legislative Council Burials at Toowong Cemetery Independent members of the Parliament of Australia 19th-century Australian politicians 20th-century Australian politicians Scottish emigrants to colonial Australia {{Australia-Independent-politician-stub