Sir Thomas Kay Sidey (27 May 1863 – 20 May 1933) was a New Zealand politician from the

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

region, remembered for his successful advocacy of daylight saving time.

Early life

Sidey was born on 27 May 1863, to John and Johan Murray Sidey, in the Dunedin suburb of Corstorphine. His father had come to wealth during the Otago Gold Rush as a storekeeper. Tom Sidey attended Otago Boys' High School and graduated from the University of Otago with a law degree ( LLB) in 1889. In the following decade, he worked as a solicitor. He married Helena (née Baxter) on 17 June 1903. They had one son.

Political career

Sidey was a member of the Caversham Borough Council. He was elected Mayor of Caversham on three occasions: in 1894, 1899 and 1901. Sidey was elected to the House of Representatives in the Caversham by-election as an independent liberal in 1901. The by-election was caused by the death of Arthur Morrison. Sidey joined the Liberal Party as part of its

left Left may refer to: Music * ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006 * ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016 * "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996 Direction * Left (direction), the relative direction opposite of right * L ...

(

radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

) wing, and stayed with the party until the end. Sidey represented the Caversham electorate from 1901 to 1908, and then the Dunedin South electorate from

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 46 ...

to 1928, when he retired. He was then appointed to the Legislative Council from 1928 until 1933. Sidey was Attorney-General (1928–31) and Minister of Justice (1930–31) in the United government. Sidey put forward a

private member's bill A private member's bill is a bill (proposed law) introduced into a legislature by a legislator who is not acting on behalf of the executive branch. The designation "private member's bill" is used in most Westminster system jurisdictions, in whi ...

for putting clocks forward an hour in summer every year from 1909. It was nearly passed in 1915. It was passed in the House of Representatives but rejected by the Legislative Council in 1926. It was finally approved in 1927. In the

1930 New Year Honours The 1930 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the United Kingdom and British Empire. They were announced on 31 December 1929. The recipients of honour ...

, Sidey was appointed a Knight Bachelor.

Death

Sidey died at home on 20 May 1933. He was survived by his wife and son,

Stuart Sidey Thomas Kay Stuart Sidey (8 October 1908 – 28 October 2007) was a former New Zealand politician who served as Mayor of Dunedin. Biography Early life and career Born in 1908, he was brought up in Corstorphine House. He was the only child of S ...

. His son became Mayor of Dunedin from 1959 to 1965. His widow, Helena, Lady Sidey, was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

for social welfare services, especially in connection with women's organisations, in the

1953 Coronation Honours The 1953 Coronation Honours were appointments by Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours on the occasion of her coronation on 2 June 1953. The honours were published in ''The London Gazette'' on 1 June 1953.New Zealand list: The reci ...

. The Royal Society of New Zealand awards the T. K. Sidey Medal at irregular intervals for "outstanding scientific research".

References

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Sidey, Thomas 1863 births 1933 deaths Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Independent MPs of New Zealand New Zealand Liberal Party MPs New Zealand Knights Bachelor Attorneys-General of New Zealand Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council 19th-century New Zealand lawyers Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand New Zealand Liberal Party MLCs New Zealand MPs for Dunedin electorates Burials at Andersons Bay Cemetery Unsuccessful candidates in the 1896 New Zealand general election 19th-century New Zealand politicians New Zealand politicians awarded knighthoods Chancellors of the University of Otago Justice ministers of New Zealand