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Member Details

Sir Thomas HENLEY, KBE (1860 - 1935)

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Date of Birth: 04/02/1860
Place of Birth: Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, England
Date of Death: 14/05/1935
Place of Death: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Parliamentary Service
Position Start End Period Notes
Member for Burwood 11 Jun 1932 12 Apr 1935 2 years 10 months 2 days
Member for Burwood 25 Oct 1930 18 May 1932 1 year 6 months 24 days
Member for Burwood 08 Oct 1927 18 Sep 1930 2 years 11 months 11 days
Member for Ryde 30 May 1925 07 Sep 1927 2 years 3 months 9 days
Secretary for Public Works and Minister for Railways and State Industrial Enterprises 13 Apr 1922 19 Jun 1922 2 months 7 days
Member for Ryde 25 Mar 1922 18 Apr 1925 3 years 25 days
Secretary for Public Works and Minister for Railways and Housing 20 Dec 1921 25 Mar 1922 3 months 6 days
Member for Ryde 10 Mar 1920 17 Feb 1922 1 year 11 months 8 days
Member for Burwood 24 Mar 1917 18 Feb 1920 2 years 10 months 26 days
Printing Committee No. 3 28 Jul 1916 21 Dec 1916 4 months 24 days
Military and Naval Hospital Home Bill Committee No. 9 22 Jul 1915 13 Apr 1916 8 months 23 days
Printing Committee No. 5 02 Jul 1915 13 Apr 1916 9 months 12 days
Printing Committee No. 6 22 Jul 1914 23 Feb 1915 7 months 2 days
Printing Committee No. 6 11 Mar 1914 18 Apr 1914 1 month 8 days
Member for Burwood 06 Dec 1913 21 Feb 1917 3 years 2 months 16 days
Printing Committee No.6 06 Aug 1913 15 Oct 1913 2 months 10 days
Newcastle Iron and Steel Works Bill Committee No.11 10 Oct 1912 31 Oct 1912 22 days
Claims of Samuel Alfred Hutchinson Committee No.10 08 Oct 1912 06 Nov 1912 30 days
Printing Committee No.6 07 Aug 1912 04 Dec 1912 3 months 28 days Chairman
Australian Gaslight Company’s Bill Committee No.23 21 Mar 1912 28 Mar 1912 8 days Chairman
Daylight Saving Principle Committee No.15 12 Oct 1911 28 Mar 1912 5 months 17 days
Claims of Samuel Alfred Hutchinson Committee No.12 10 Oct 1911 18 Oct 1911 9 days
Printing Committee No.6 12 Sep 1911 27 Mar 1911 0 days
Daylight Saving Principle Committee No.11 28 Jun 1911 01 Aug 1911 1 month 5 days
Printing Committee No.6 30 May 1911 13 Jul 1911 1 month 14 days
Printing Committee No.6 30 Nov 1910 23 Dec 1910 24 days Chairman
Member for Burwood 14 Oct 1910 06 Nov 1913 3 years 24 days
Printing Committee No.6 28 Jun 1910 19 Aug 1910 1 month 23 days
Printing Committee No.6 14 Jul 1909 17 Dec 1909 5 months 4 days
Printing Committee No.6 05 Aug 1908 18 Dec 1908 4 months 14 days
Printing Committee No.5 13 Mar 1908 10 Apr 1908 29 days
Printing Committee No.4 24 Oct 1907 19 Dec 1907 1 month 26 days
Member for Burwood 10 Sep 1907 14 Sep 1910 3 years 5 days
Printing Committee No.6 09 Jul 1907 11 Jul 1907 3 days
Printing Committee No.5 10 Jul 1906 18 Dec 1906 5 months 9 days
Drummoyne Municipal Lands Sale Bill Committee No.21 03 Nov 1905 04 Dec 1905 1 month 2 days Chairman
Claim of Mr F.E Stowe; Electric Tram, Darling Street, Balmain Committee No.18 03 Oct 1905 22 Nov 1905 1 month 20 days Chairman
Moss Vale Cattle Sale-yards Bill Committee No.12 10 Aug 1905 24 Aug 1905 15 days
Printing Committee No.6 28 Jun 1905 08 Dec 1905 5 months 11 days
Lieutenant Governor’s Opening Speech Committee No.1 13 Jun 1905 13 Jun 1905 1 day
Wellington Cattle Sale-yards Bill Committee No.10 15 Nov 1904 17 Nov 1904 3 days
Municipal District of Cowra reduced Area Bill Committee No.8 01 Nov 1904 16 Nov 1904 16 days
Member for Burwood 06 Aug 1904 10 Sep 1907 3 years 1 month 5 days
Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly 06 Aug 1904 12 Apr 1935 30 years 8 months 7 days
Political Party Activity
Liberal. National; councillor from 1929 until 1930, United Australia Party.
Community Activity
Commissioned as a Justice of the Peace (JP) in 1908.
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Plasterer and builder. Educated in nationals school, England; farm hand; trained as a plasterer; arrived in New South Wales in c.1876, employed in building industry, settled at Balmain, became a contractor and builder and considerable property owner; moved to Drummoyne c.1895; bought out Drummoyne, West Balamin and Leichhardt Ferry Company in 1898, sold out to Sydney Ferries in 1905; honorary Commissioner of Australian Comforts Fund from 1915 until 1919, Egypt, France and England; commissioner of Franco-British Exhibition in 1908; member of Metropolitan Water Supply, Sewerage and Drainage Board from 1902 until 1933; supported New Guard; author; Australian Protestant Defence Association in 1904, Protestant federation in 1921; Sunday school superintendent at Balmain Congregationalist Church.
Military Service
Honours Received
Knight of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) 1920, Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 1920
Membership of other Parliaments & Offices Held
Local Government Activity
Alderman of the Drummoyne Municipal Council 1898 - 1934; four times Mayor in this period. Alderman of the Sydney City Council for Lang Ward, 1 December 1902 - 30 November 1906. Member of the Finance Committee 1903 - 1906; the Parliamentary and By-Laws committee 1903; the Staff and Labour Committee 1903; the Electric Lighting Committee 1903 - 1906; the health and By-Laws Committee 1904 - 1906; the Works Committee 1905 - 1906; and the Parks and Recreation Committee 1903.
Personal
Son of George Henley, agricultural labourer, and Margaret Seagle. Married Charlotte Smith in Wiltshire, England and had issue, 2 daughters and 3 sons. Buried in Field of Mars cemetery from Drummoyne Presbyterian church.
Additional Information
Australian Dictionary of Biography (ADB), Volume 9.

The Parliament of New South Wales acknowledges and respects the traditional lands of all Aboriginal people, and pays respects to all Elders past and present. We acknowledge the Gadigal people as the traditional custodians of the land on which the Parliament of New South Wales stands.