Thomas Henry Fitzgerald
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The Hon Thomas Fitzgerald |
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| 1st Superintendent of Hawke's Bay Province | |
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In office 23 April 1859 – March 1861 |
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| Succeeded by | John Chilton Lambton Carter |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for County of Hawke |
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In office 26 April 1860 – 5 November 1860 |
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| 7th Treasurer of Queensland | |
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In office 25 November 1868 – 27 January 1869 |
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| Preceded by | Robert Mackenzie |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Blacket Stephens |
| Constituency | Kennedy |
| Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Rockhampton |
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In office 27 June 1867 – 11 July 1867 |
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| Preceded by | Charles Fitzsimmons |
| Succeeded by | Archibald Archer |
| Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Kennedy |
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In office 19 July 1867 – 11 June 1869 |
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| Preceded by | George Elphinstone Dalrymple |
| Succeeded by | John Bright |
| Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Bowen |
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In office 4 November 1873 – 5 May 1875 |
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| Preceded by | New seat |
| Succeeded by | Francis Amhurst |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Thomas Henry Fitzgerald 1 December 1824 Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, Ireland |
| Died | 10 November 1888 (aged 63) Teneriffe, Queensland |
| Resting place | Nudgee Cemetery |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Spouse(s) | Jessie Wilson |
| Relations |
Charles Borromeo Fitzgerald (son) Paddy Fitzgerald (grandson) |
| Occupation | Public Servant, Sugarcane Farmer Surveyor |
Thomas Henry Fitzgerald (1 December 1824 – 10 November 1888) was a pioneer in sugar cane farming in the early days of the colony of Queensland, Australia. He was a politician, first in New Zealand, then in Queensland. His descendants went on to become notable names in Queensland politics, business and law. He will be best remembered for founding the town of Innisfail.
Over a varied and interesting life, Fitzgerald was a surveyor, sugar cane farmer, Superintendent, Colonial Treasurer and pioneer.
Thomas Henry Fitzgerald was born in Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, Ireland in December 1824. Fitzgerald qualified as an engineer, but like many of his compatriots of the time, he left Ireland to seek fortune elsewhere (see Irish diaspora).
Fitzgerald and one of his sisters went to New Zealand in 1842 on the George Fyfe, following their brother John, who was a medical doctor. There, he trained and worked as a surveyor and achieved additional qualifications as an engineer and architect. In 1844, he purchased 16 acres (6.5 ha) in Khandallah, now a suburb of Wellington. On 2 July 1851, he married Jessie Wilson at Wellington, the oldest daughter of James Wilson of that city.
Fitzgerald designed St Joseph's Providence, a Catholic charity school for Māori girls on the grounds of the new St Mary's College in the Wellington suburb of Thorndon. The building had two storeys, 18 bedrooms, and was opened in September 1852. The building was demolished in the 1970s, and only a porch from an 1869 extension remains, which is registered by Heritage New Zealand as a Category II heritage item.
In 1853, the Fitzgeralds moved to the Hawke's Bay Region, where he surveyed the area. He had two general stores, one of them in Napier's Waghorne Street, and he built a steam flour mill in that town. Other business activities were him acting as an agent for a shipping company, for an insurance company, and buying wool.
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Wikipedia