Thomas Thompson (1832 – 21 January 1919) was a New Zealand politician of the

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Biography

Early life and career

Thompson was born in Ireland in 1832 where he was entered the grocery trade as a merchant. In 1853 he shifted to

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during the gold rush in Victoria. Then he moved to Auckland in the 1860s and carried on a grocery business there. During the

New Zealand Wars The New Zealand Wars () took place from 1845 to 1872 between the Colony of New Zealand, New Zealand colonial government and allied Māori people, Māori on one side, and Māori and Māori-allied settlers on the other. Though the wars were initi ...

Thompson saw service with the volunteers in 1863. He received a commission as a lieutenant in 1867. In local matters Thompson served as a member of the Road Board, Domain Board and School Committee of

Mount Eden Mount Eden is a suburb in Auckland, New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Z ...

. In 1878 he was elected a member of

Auckland City Council Auckland City Council was the local government authority for Auckland City, New Zealand, from 1989 to 1 November 2010, when it and Auckland's six other city and district councils were amalgamated to form the Auckland Council. It was an elec ...

, retaining his seat until 1884, also representing the Council on the

Auckland Harbour Board The Auckland Harbour Board was a public body that operated the ports of both Auckland and Onehunga from 1871 to 1988 and was dissolved in 1989. Its successor organisation is Ports of Auckland, which assumed the possessions and responsibilities o ...

Member of Parliament

He represented the Auckland North electorate from to 1890, then the City of Auckland electorate from 1890 to 1899, when he retired. He was

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

from 2 March 1896 to 23 January 1900 and

Minister of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divid ...

from 22 June 1896 to 23 January 1900 in the

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. He was appointed to the

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on 18 March 1903 and his appointment was renewed on 18 March 1910; his term ended on 17 March 1917.

Later life and death

Thompson died in

, Auckland, on 21 January 1919, and was buried at Purewa Cemetery.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Thompson, Thomas 1832 births 1919 deaths Irish emigrants to New Zealand British military personnel of the New Zealand Wars Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council Ministers of defence of New Zealand New Zealand Liberal Party MPs New Zealand Liberal Party MLCs Burials at Purewa Cemetery Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates 19th-century New Zealand politicians Auckland Harbour Board members Ministers of justice of New Zealand