Thomas Brown (settler)

Thomas Brown (1803 – 5 July 1863) was an early settler in colonial Western Australia, and a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council.

Thomas Brown was born in England in 1803. Little is known of his life in England, except that he married Eliza Bussey in 1836, and by 1840 he was living in Cuddesdon, Oxfordshire and working as a road surveyor. He was reasonably well off financially by then, having an interest in the rental of a turnpike, and some rental property in the district.

In November 1840, Brown and his family emigrated to Western Australia, arriving on the Sterling in March 1841. On arrival at the Swan River Colony, Brown went immediately to York, where he purchased Grass Dale from Revett Henry Bland. Brown purchased ewes for the property, and began selecting horses for breeding. In July 1841 he accepted a position as assistant government surveyor, but the work took him away from his property too much, and he resigned in January 1842. He became active in the York Agricultural Society, being its president during 1843. In November 1844 he was appointed a Justice of the Peace.

Brown worked at Grass Dale until 1852, during which time he had great success in the development of his land and stock, but little success financially. By the end of that period, the property was in debt by over £2000. In 1850, Brown decided to seek better land. Together with his son Kenneth, he joined a party of eight in exploring overland from York to the Champion Bay district. The party travelled 300 miles (480 km) and found large tracts of apparently good land. Brown selected 40,000 acres (160 km²) on the Greenough River, and the following year established a homestead there, which he called Glengarry.

Although Brown leased out Grass Dale and established a homestead at Glengarry, his intention of living at Glengarry did not eventuate. Late in 1850, shortly before his intended relocation to Glengarry, Brown was nominated to the Legislative Council, a position which required him to be in Perth. As Brown was committed to moving to Champion Bay, he stated his intention to decline the nomination, but was persuaded by the Governor of Western Australia, Captain Charles Fitzgerald to sit for the remainder of the session.

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