Thomas James Moore (14 February 1881 – 13 January 1961) was an Australian trade unionist and politician who served in both houses of the

Parliament of Western Australia The Parliament of Western Australia is the bicameralism, bicameral legislature of the Australian states and territories of Australia, state of Western Australia, which constitutes the legislative branch of the state's political system. The parl ...

. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly for less than two months in 1913, in unusual circumstances, and later served in the

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

from 1920 to 1926 and from 1932 to 1946. Moore was born in Knowsley,

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

(near

Axedale Axedale is a town in Victoria, Australia. It is located on the McIvor Highway, in the City of Greater Bendigo, east of Bendigo. It was surveyed and proclaimed in 1861. At the 2021 census, Axedale had a population of 984. The town is nestled a ...

), to Mary (née Quinn) and Thomas Moore. He came to Western Australia in 1904, and settled in Dwellingup, where he worked in the timber industry. He had a long-standing involvement with the Timber Workers' Union, and served as its president from 1912 to 1915.Thomas James Moore
– Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 13 June 2016. In April 1913, the sitting

Labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

member for the seat of Forrest, Peter O'Loghlen, resigned his seat in state parliament to contest the 1913 federal election. Moore was preselected as the replacement Labor candidate, and won the by-election unopposed."FORREST ELECTORATE."
'' The Western Mail'', 2 May 1913. However, O'Loghlen was unsuccessful in his bid for federal parliament, and Moore resigned from parliament without being sworn in to allow him to take his old seat. In October 1916, Moore enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force. He served in France as a

corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...

with the 48th Battalion, and was

wounded in action Wounded in action (WIA) describes combatants who have been wounded while fighting in a combat zone during wartime, but have not been killed. Typically, it implies that they are temporarily or permanently incapable of bearing arms or continuing ...

in April 1918, resulting in his discharge later in the year. On returning to Australia, Moore settled in Ballidu, a small Wheatbelt town. He later purchased a wheat farm near Mullewa (in the

Mid-West The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

). Moore returned to parliament at the 1920 Legislative Council elections, defeating the sitting Country Party member in Central Province,

Henry Carson Henry Carson (31 December 1866 – 31 July 1948) was an Australian politician who served in both houses of the Parliament of Western Australia, as a member of the Legislative Assembly from 1904 to 1906 and from 1908 to 1911, and as a member of ...

. He was defeated by

George Kempton George Adam Kempton (6 August 1871 – 7 June 1945) was an Australian dentist and politician who served as a Country Party member of the Legislative Council of Western Australia from 1926 to 1932, representing Central Province. He also served ...

in 1926, but returned in 1932, and served another two terms before retiring in 1946. Moore died in Perth in 1961, aged 79. He had married twice, having two children by his first wife and seven by his second.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Thomas 1881 births 1961 deaths Australian Army soldiers Australian Labor Party members of the Parliament of Western Australia Australian military personnel of World War I Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly Members of the Western Australian Legislative Council People from Victoria (state) Trade unionists from Western Australia 20th-century Australian politicians