Thomas Holt (Australian politician)

The Honourable Thomas Holt
Colonial Treasurer of New South Wales
In office 6 June 1856 – 25 August 1856
Preceded by	New Position
Succeeded by	Robert Campbell
Constituency	Stanley Boroughs
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Stanley Boroughs
In office 7 April 1856 – 6 June 1856
In office 23 June 1856 – 19 December 1857
Preceded by	New seat
Succeeded by	Benjamin Cribb
Member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for Newtown
In office 12 July 1861 – 10 November 1864
Preceded by	Alexander McArthur
Succeeded by	Stephen Brown
Member of Legislative Council of New South Wales
In office 13 October 1868 – 6 December 1883
Personal details
Born	Thomas Holt 14 November 1811 Horbury, Yorkshire, England
Died	5 September 1888 (aged 76) Bexley, Kent, England
Resting place	Abney Park Cemetery
Nationality	English Australian
Spouse(s)	Sophie Eulert (m.1841)
Occupation	Pastoralist
Religion	Congregationalist

Thomas Holt (14 November 1811 – 5 September 1888) was an Australian pastoralist, company director and politician. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council between 1868 and 1883. He was also a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for two periods between 1856 and 1857 and again between 1861 and 1864.^[1] Holt was the first Colonial Treasurer in New South Wales.^[2]

Early life

Holt was the son of a Yorkshire wool merchant and was educated in Wakefield. He initially worked in his father's firm in Leeds but after 3 years became a wool buyer in London. Subsequently, Holt emigrated to Sydney in 1842 and made a fortune as a wool merchant. He was also a director of numerous colonial companies including the Sydney Railway Company. Holt invested extensively in pastoral land and by 1860 had acquired more than 3 million acres (12,000 km²) in New South Wales and Queensland. As a result, he was independently wealthy and retired from active business in 1855.

After building a gothic stone mansion, "The Warren", on land overlooking the Cooks River in Marrickville, Holt stocked the grounds with imported European rabbits for breeding and hunting. Animals escaping from this property contributed to the Australian rabbit plague. Holt also had an extensive estate in the Sans Souci area of Sydney. In later life he was a founder of Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, a member of the Royal Society of New South Wales and a patron of the Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales.

Colonial Parliament

Holt was unsuccessful at two attempts to enter the Legislative Council prior to the establishment of responsible self-government in 1856. However, at the first election under the new constitution he was elected to the Legislative Assembly as one of the two members for Stanley Boroughs (including Brisbane and Ipswich) which, prior to the establishment of Queensland as a separate colony in 1859, was part of New South Wales. At the next election in 1858, Holt was defeated in an attempt to transfer to the seat of Cumberland (South Riding). He re-entered the Assembly as the member for Newtown at an 1861 by-election caused by the resignation of Alexander McArthur but resigned from the seat before the next election in 1864–65. In 1868 he accepted a life appointment to the Legislative Council.

Holt was a supporter of free-trade and had a liberal political philosophy. Throughout his political career he campaigned for education, gaol and immigration reform and spent a small fortune supporting Henry Parkes' "Empire" newspaper. An active Congregationalist, in 1864 he gave half the value of his residence, Camden Villa, towards the founding of Camden College (Congregational Church school).

Government

Holt was New South Wales' inaugural Colonial Treasurer in the liberal government of Stuart Donaldson. He held this position for 81 days.

Later life

In 1881 Thomas went back to England where he devoted himself to the poor of London, working with The Salvation Army, the Rev Andrew Mearns (author of 'The Bitter Cry of Outcast London: an inquiry into the abject poor', and Dr Barnardo. He died at his home in Bexley on 5 September, after completing his book, 'Christianity, or the Poor Man's Friend'); and was buried at Abney Park Cemetery.

Legacy

The Thomas Holt Retirement Villages are named after him.^[3]

References

1. "Mr Thomas Holt (1811 - 1888) Former members of the New South Wales Parliament, 1856–2006". NSW Parliament. New South Wales Parliament. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
2. Geeves, Philip. "Holt, Thomas (1811–1888)". Australian Dictionary of Biography. National Centre of Biography, Australian National University. Retrieved 19 January 2016.
3. Thomas Holt Villages web site