Date of Birth: 22/01/1856
Place of Birth: Redditch, Worcestershire, England
Date of Death: 14/07/1899
Place of Death: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Parliamentary Service
| Member for Sydney-Pyrmont |
24 Jul 1895 |
08 Jul 1898 |
2 years 11 months 15 days |
|
| Member for Sydney-Pyrmont |
17 Jul 1894 |
05 Jul 1895 |
11 months 19 days |
|
| Member for West Sydney |
17 Jun 1891 |
25 Jun 1894 |
3 years 9 days |
|
| Member of the NSW Legislative Assembly |
17 Jun 1891 |
08 Jul 1898 |
7 years 22 days |
|
Political Party Activity
Australian Labor Party (ALP). Labor foundation member, and the first party whip.
Qualifications, occupations and interests
Seaman and mariner. Educated at Glasgow High School and Garnet Bank Academy. When he was thirteen he moved to France to learn the language, returning to England when the Franco-Prussian war broke out. He went to sea from 1871 to 1875 and had military experience in South Africa, worked as an inspector of the construction of the railway in India, and as an interpreter in New Caledonia. Settled in Sydney around 1876, continuing to work as a seaman. Seamen's union secretary. Became the secretary of the Federated Seamen's Union in 1886, he was the secretary of the New South Wales Branch.
Membership of other Parliaments & Offices Held
Local Government Activity
Personal
Son of Thomas a fruit merchant and Ann Martin. His family moved to Glasgow when Thomas was three. Married Jessie Shaw on 9 May 1892 and had issue 3 sons. Church of England.
Additional Information
References:
Australian Dictionary of Biography, 8, Melbourne 1966+;
Martin, A.W. and Wardle, P., Members of the Legislative Assembly of New South
Wales 1856 - 1901, Canberra 1959.
