Thomas Butterfield
Encyclopedia
Thomas Butterfield was an Australian politician and member of the South Australian Parliament.
In 1910/11 Thomas was a councillor for the Tumby Bay ward in the Tumby Bay Council
and was made a Justice of the Peace
. He was elected to the state seat of Newcastle in the South Australian Parliament in 1915.
Thomas Butterfield represented the seat of Newcastle from 1915 to 1933 and was Commissioner of Crown Lands, Minister of Afforestation and Minister of Agriculture in the Gunn
Government from 1924. In September 1925 he opened the Department of Agriculture's Pavilion at the Wayville show grounds when His Excellency the Governor General (Lord Forster). Opened the Show ground In the Premiers speech Mr. Gunn said:
In the State election held on 10 February 1912, Thomas Butterfield was given Australian Labor Party
endorsement for the three Member House of Assembly
District of Flinders
, but he and his colleague, one of the sitting members were defeated.
Thomas Butterfield was appointed organizer for the United Labor Party in 1915.
In the 1915 election he was endorsed for the two-Member electorate of Newcastle and both he and his running mate, A.A. Kirkpatrick were elected.
In the 1916 Party plebiscite for the endorsement of three candidates for the Senate, a record 10,321 ballot papers were returned resulting in the election of Frank Lundie (A.W.U. Secretary) Thomas was second with 4,540 votes and Lionel Hill, who later became Premier, was third with 4,276 votes.
Thomas resigned his seat in the house of Assembly on 21 March 1917, to contest that years Senate election, but was badly beaten by the team led by the former Labor Senator E.J.Guthrie, who was expelled for his support f or conscription and then ran as a Nationalist. Guthrie polled 106,408 votes to the 79,541 votes polled by Thomas who topped Labors Senate vote.
In the by-election held on 12 May 1917, caused by his resignation from Newcastle to contest the Senate election, the vacancy went to the Anti-Labor Candidate, Edward N Twopeny.
Thomas was re-elected for Newcastle in the elections held in 1918, 1921, 1924, 1927 and 1930, but he and his running mate William Harvey, lost their seats in the 1933 election to Jim Beerworth and Lindsay Riches. He had joined the Premiers' Planners led by Lionel Hill and was expelled from the party in August 1931. He and the others who were expelled had form ed a breakaway Party that they called the P.L.P. (Parliamentary Labor Party).
In 1922 Thomas, while still a member of the House of Assembly, contested the plebiscite for the House of Representatives seat of Grey, which finally went to A.W.Lacey, who succeeded in defeating the sitting member, Alexander Poynton who had held the seat from 1903 until 1917.
In 1924 Thomas attempted to make a deal with the Leader of the Country Party, Malcolm McIntosh, under which the A.L.P. would give the Country Party a clear run for the Northern District of the Legislative Council in return for a written undertaking that the Country Party support the Labor Party against the Liberal Party in Parliament. The proposal was rejected.
The highlight of his career was being sworn in as Commissioner of Crown Lands, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Afforestation. (Gunn Government 1924) He was responsible for the re-organization of the instructorsh ip of the branch of the Agriculture Department, establishment of the Dai ry Dept and the augment of the plantation of 3000 acres (12.1 km²) of pines a yea r, that has continued from that time.
Thomas was a pioneer farmer in the Wudinna area, he purchased sections 6 a nd 8 in the hundred of Wudinna (near Kyancutta) it is not clear if the family actually lived at Wudinna, but it is safe to say that the eldest children Honora and T Harris were sent to Wudinna to get the farm set up and ready for the rest of the family. The Wudinna block was sold to the Spiers family in 1918.
In 1921 when Thomas and the family went to live at Johnberg on a grazing property that was purchased. T.Harris did not go with the family; he went to Yardea working as a station hand. Honora (Nora) married Michael Meers at Orroroo.
George Polden first built the home on the property in 1879. It was a three room stone hut, and later a fine three-room house was built in front of the original building. The name "BUTTERFIELDS" stuck with the home and in the 1970s Jeremy Browne restored the house to its original condition, he worked at weekends from Adelaide and in 1979 a plaque was unveiled for the Butterfield home centenary
Jack Butterfield attended.
Thomas did not do too well out of grazing and in 1924 the property was sold back to the Luckraft's who still own it.
After Johnberg a home was bought at Athelstone and a farm in the Mallee with son Jack running it. After four years Thomas retired to the city home and Jack was forced off the land losing everything in 1938.
In 1910/11 Thomas was a councillor for the Tumby Bay ward in the Tumby Bay Council
District Council of Tumby Bay
The Tumby Bay District Council is a local government area of South Australia covering an area of the North Eastern Eyre Peninsula. Established in 1906, only six years after the town of Tumby Bay was established, the district was annexed from the former District Council of Port Lincoln to form the...
and was made a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
. He was elected to the state seat of Newcastle in the South Australian Parliament in 1915.
Thomas Butterfield represented the seat of Newcastle from 1915 to 1933 and was Commissioner of Crown Lands, Minister of Afforestation and Minister of Agriculture in the Gunn
John Gunn (Australian politician)
John Gunn was the 29th Premier of South Australia.Gunn was born in Bendigo, Victoria, the second of nine children to a Scottish miner and his wife...
Government from 1924. In September 1925 he opened the Department of Agriculture's Pavilion at the Wayville show grounds when His Excellency the Governor General (Lord Forster). Opened the Show ground In the Premiers speech Mr. Gunn said:
In the State election held on 10 February 1912, Thomas Butterfield was given Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
endorsement for the three Member House of Assembly
South Australian House of Assembly
The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...
District of Flinders
Electoral district of Flinders
Flinders is an electoral district of the House of Assembly in the Australian state of South Australia. It is named after explorer Matthew Flinders, who was responsible for charting most of the state's coastline. It is a 55,260.6 km² coastal rural electorate encompassing the Eyre Peninsula and...
, but he and his colleague, one of the sitting members were defeated.
Thomas Butterfield was appointed organizer for the United Labor Party in 1915.
In the 1915 election he was endorsed for the two-Member electorate of Newcastle and both he and his running mate, A.A. Kirkpatrick were elected.
In the 1916 Party plebiscite for the endorsement of three candidates for the Senate, a record 10,321 ballot papers were returned resulting in the election of Frank Lundie (A.W.U. Secretary) Thomas was second with 4,540 votes and Lionel Hill, who later became Premier, was third with 4,276 votes.
Thomas resigned his seat in the house of Assembly on 21 March 1917, to contest that years Senate election, but was badly beaten by the team led by the former Labor Senator E.J.Guthrie, who was expelled for his support f or conscription and then ran as a Nationalist. Guthrie polled 106,408 votes to the 79,541 votes polled by Thomas who topped Labors Senate vote.
In the by-election held on 12 May 1917, caused by his resignation from Newcastle to contest the Senate election, the vacancy went to the Anti-Labor Candidate, Edward N Twopeny.
Thomas was re-elected for Newcastle in the elections held in 1918, 1921, 1924, 1927 and 1930, but he and his running mate William Harvey, lost their seats in the 1933 election to Jim Beerworth and Lindsay Riches. He had joined the Premiers' Planners led by Lionel Hill and was expelled from the party in August 1931. He and the others who were expelled had form ed a breakaway Party that they called the P.L.P. (Parliamentary Labor Party).
In 1922 Thomas, while still a member of the House of Assembly, contested the plebiscite for the House of Representatives seat of Grey, which finally went to A.W.Lacey, who succeeded in defeating the sitting member, Alexander Poynton who had held the seat from 1903 until 1917.
In 1924 Thomas attempted to make a deal with the Leader of the Country Party, Malcolm McIntosh, under which the A.L.P. would give the Country Party a clear run for the Northern District of the Legislative Council in return for a written undertaking that the Country Party support the Labor Party against the Liberal Party in Parliament. The proposal was rejected.
The highlight of his career was being sworn in as Commissioner of Crown Lands, Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Afforestation. (Gunn Government 1924) He was responsible for the re-organization of the instructorsh ip of the branch of the Agriculture Department, establishment of the Dai ry Dept and the augment of the plantation of 3000 acres (12.1 km²) of pines a yea r, that has continued from that time.
Thomas was a pioneer farmer in the Wudinna area, he purchased sections 6 a nd 8 in the hundred of Wudinna (near Kyancutta) it is not clear if the family actually lived at Wudinna, but it is safe to say that the eldest children Honora and T Harris were sent to Wudinna to get the farm set up and ready for the rest of the family. The Wudinna block was sold to the Spiers family in 1918.
In 1921 when Thomas and the family went to live at Johnberg on a grazing property that was purchased. T.Harris did not go with the family; he went to Yardea working as a station hand. Honora (Nora) married Michael Meers at Orroroo.
George Polden first built the home on the property in 1879. It was a three room stone hut, and later a fine three-room house was built in front of the original building. The name "BUTTERFIELDS" stuck with the home and in the 1970s Jeremy Browne restored the house to its original condition, he worked at weekends from Adelaide and in 1979 a plaque was unveiled for the Butterfield home centenary
Jack Butterfield attended.
Thomas did not do too well out of grazing and in 1924 the property was sold back to the Luckraft's who still own it.
After Johnberg a home was bought at Athelstone and a farm in the Mallee with son Jack running it. After four years Thomas retired to the city home and Jack was forced off the land losing everything in 1938.