Thomas Reynolds (Australian politician)

The Right Honourable Thomas Reynolds


5th Premier of South Australia
In office 9 May 1860 – 8 October 1861
Monarch	Victoria
Governor	Sir Richard MacDonnell
Preceded by	Sir Richard Hanson
Succeeded by	George Waterhouse
Constituency	City Of Adelaide
South Australian Commissioner of Public Works
In office 30 September 1857 – 12 June 1858
Premier	Richard Hanson
Preceded by	Samuel Davenport
Succeeded by	Arthur Blyth
Personal details
Born	1818 England, UK
Died	25 February 1875(1875-02-25) (aged 57) Great Barrier Reef, Queensland
Nationality	British
Spouse(s)	Anne Litchfield

Thomas Reynolds (1818 – 25 February 1875) was the fifth Premier of South Australia, serving from 9 May 1860 to 8 October 1861.^[1]

Reynolds was born in England in 1818, and on leaving school had experience in the grocery business. He came to South Australia in 1840 as an early colonist at the invitation of his brother, who had a draper's shop at Adelaide. The brother had died by the time Thomas Reynolds arrived and he soon opened a grocer's shop, was successful for a time, but like many others fell into financial difficulties when the gold rush began.

Reynolds became an alderman in the Adelaide City Council in 1854, succeeding William Paxton, but a few months afterwards resigned to enter the unicameral South Australian Legislative Council. In 1857 he was elected for Sturt in the first South Australian House of Assembly, a seat he held until 12 March 1860.^[1] From September 1857 to June 1858 he was commissioner of public works in the Hanson ministry. On 13 March 1860, Reynolds changed seats to City of Adelaide and on 9 May 1860 he became Premier and Treasurer of South Australia.^[1]

Reynolds resigned as premier and treasurer on 8 October 1861.^[1] He was treasurer in the second Waterhouse ministry from 17 October 1861 to 19 February 1862, and in the second Dutton ministry from March to September 1865.^[1] He held the same position in the fourth and fifth Ayers ministries from May 1867 to September 1868 and from October to November 1868. He was commissioner of crown lands in the seventh Ayers ministry from March 1872 to July 1873.^[1] Reynolds represented East Adelaide from 5 November 1864 to 27 March 1870 and Encounter Bay from 14 December 1871 to 2 February 1872 and 29 February 1872 to 28 August 1873.^[1]

Some years earlier his interest in the Northern Territory had been stimulated by reports from his nephew, Frederick Henry Litchfield. Early in 1873 he visited Darwin where there was a gold-rush, and found matters completely disorganized. Many of the official staff had not only taken up claims but had been allowed leave of absence to look after their mines. Reynolds did his best to restore order and returned to Adelaide where he reported favourably on the mineral resources of the north. Not finding himself in agreement with his colleagues in the ministry he retired from parliament and went to Darwin. He was not successful there, and was returning to Adelaide on the SS Gothenburg which was wrecked in a tropical cyclone near the Great Barrier Reef on 24 February 1875, and he was drowned. He was married to Anne Litchfield, who lost her life in the same shipwreck. He was survived by two sons.

Long associated with the total abstinence (temperance) movement in Adelaide, Reynolds was known as "Teapot Tommy". Reynolds was a shrewd business man, a hard worker, and a good treasurer, but was of too sanguine and fiery a temperament to be a politician of the first rank. He was a pioneer in jam-making and raisin-curing in South Australia, but his devotion to his parliamentary duties led sometimes to the neglect of his own financial interests.

Sources

Gordon D. Combe, 'Reynolds, Thomas (1818–1875)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 6, Melbourne University Press, 1976, pp 23–24.
Serle, Percival (1949). "Reynolds, Thomas". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus and Robertson.
Reynolds, Thomas: Australian Dictionary of Biography
Reynolds, Thomas Australian Dictionary of Biography

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Hon Thomas Reynolds". Parliament of South Australia.

External links

The South Australian Register and The South Australian Advertiser, 8 March 1875
Hodder, E., The History of South Australia
Mennell, Philip (1892). " Reynolds, Hon. Thomas". The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co. Wikisource

Political offices
Preceded by Samuel Davenport	Commissioner of Public Works 30 Sep 1857 – 12 Jun 1858	Succeeded by Arthur Blyth
Preceded by Richard Hanson	Premier of South Australia 9 May 1860 – 8 Oct 1861	Succeeded by George Waterhouse
Preceded by Boyle Finniss	Treasurer of South Australia 9 May 1860 – 8 Oct 1861	Succeeded by Arthur Blyth

Preceded by Arthur Blyth	Treasurer of South Australia 17 Oct 1861 – 19 Feb 1862
Preceded by John Hart	Treasurer of South Australia 22 Mar – 20 Sep 1865
Preceded by Walter Duffield	Treasurer of South Australia 3 May 1867 – 24 Sep 1868	Succeeded by Neville Blyth
Preceded by Neville Blyth	Treasurer of South Australia 13 Oct – 3 Nov 1868	Succeeded by Henry Hughes
Parliament of South Australia
New district	Member for Sturt 1857–1860 Served alongside: John Hallett	Succeeded by Joseph Peacock
Preceded by Judah Solomon	Member for City of Adelaide 1860–1862 Served alongside: Richard Hanson, Matthew Moorhouse, Philip Santo, Samuel Bakewell, William Parkin	District abolished
Preceded by William Bakewell	Member for East Adelaide 1864–1870 Served alongside: Philip Santo, Robert Cottrell	Succeeded by David Murray
Preceded by Arthur Lindsay	Member for Encounter Bay 1871–1873 Served alongside: William Everard, William Rogers	Succeeded by Arthur Lindsay

Premiers of South Australia

B. T. Finniss John Baker Robert Torrens Richard Hanson Thomas Reynolds George Waterhouse Francis Dutton Henry Ayers Arthur Blyth Francis Dutton Henry Ayers John Hart James Boucaut Henry Ayers John Hart Henry Ayers Henry Strangways John Hart Arthur Blyth Henry Ayers Arthur Blyth James Boucaut John Colton James Boucaut William Morgan John Cox Bray John Colton John Downer Thomas Playford II John Cockburn Thomas Playford II Frederick Holder John Downer Charles Kingston Vaiben Solomon Frederick Holder John Jenkins R. Butler Thomas Price Archibald Peake John Verran Archibald Peake Crawford Vaughan Archibald Peake Henry Barwell John Gunn Lionel Hill R.L. Butler Lionel Hill Robert Richards R.L. Butler Thomas Playford IV Frank Walsh Don Dunstan Steele Hall Don Dunstan Des Corcoran David Tonkin John Bannon Lynn Arnold Dean Brown John Olsen Rob Kerin Mike Rann Jay Weatherill

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