Thomas Gillies

File:Thomas Gillies.jpg

Gillies around 1860.

Thomas Bannatyne Gillies (17 January 1828 – 26 July 1889) was a 19th-century New Zealand lawyer, judge and politician.

Early life

He was born at Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, Scotland, on 17 January 1828. He was the eldest of nine children of John Gillies, local lawyer and town clerk, and his wife, Isabella Lillie, daughter of a Glasgow businessman and granddaughter of a Huguenot refugee. Determined to train as a mechanical engineer, he was forced by his father to study law and trained in his father's practice for four years. He then went to Manchester, where he worked for Robert Barbour and Sons, with his next brother John taking his place in his father's firm. The two brothers intended to join the California Gold Rush but their father did not allow them to do so, and John emigrated to Australia instead in about 1850. John Gillies senior was so committed with various duties that his health suffered and after long discussions, it was agreed to emigrate to Otago, New Zealand.

On 1 June 1852, Thomas Gillies married Catherine Douglas at Newcastle upon Tyne. The whole family, including their brother Robert Gillies, left for New Zealand on 24 July on the Slains Castle. They were soon joined in Otago by John Gillies Jr., who came over from Australia.

Political career

Parliament of New Zealand
Years	Term	Electorate		Party
1860	2nd	Dunedin Country		Independent
1861–1865	3rd	Bruce		Independent
1870	4th	Mongonui		Independent
1871–1875	5th	Auckland West		Independent

He was the Member of Parliament for Dunedin Country from 1860 (after a by-election), then Bruce 1861 to 1865 (resigned); two electorates in the South Island. He then represented Mongonui 1870 (elected 30 March 1870; Parliament dissolved 30 December 1870) then Auckland West 1871 to 1875 (resigned); two electorates in the North Island.

He was the seventh Superintendent of Auckland Province from 1869 to 1873.

He was a cabinet minister, and held the positions of Attorney-General (August 1862) in the Domett Ministry, Postmaster-General and Secretary for Crown Lands (1863–1864) in the Whitaker–Fox Ministry, and Colonial Treasurer (1872) in the third Stafford Ministry.

Professional career

Gillies joined the practise of his father John Gillies and John Hyde Harris in July 1857. In the 1860s, he ran a law practice in Dunedin with William Richmond, a fellow (ex) MP.

References

Political offices
Preceded by Henry Sewell	Attorney-General 1862	Succeeded by Henry Sewell
Preceded by John Williamson	Superintendent of Auckland Province 1869–1873	Succeeded by John Williamson
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by William Cargill	Member of Parliament for Dunedin Country 1860 Served alongside: John Parkin Taylor	Constituency abolished
New constituency	Member of Parliament for Bruce 1861–1865 Served alongside: Charles Kettle, Edward Cargill	Succeeded by Arthur John Burns
Preceded by Thomas Ball	Member of Parliament for Mongonui 1870	Succeeded by John McLeod
Preceded by Patrick Dignan	Member of Parliament for Auckland West 1871–1875 Served alongside: John Williamson	Succeeded by George Grey