Thomas Welsby | |
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Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Brisbane North |
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In office 16 September 1911 – 27 April 1912 Serving with Edward Forrest |
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Preceded by | Edward Macartney |
Succeeded by | Seat abolished |
Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly for Merthyr |
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In office 27 April 1912 – 22 May 1915 |
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Preceded by | New seat |
Succeeded by | Peter McLachlan |
Personal details | |
Born |
Thomas Welsby 29 November 1858 Ipswich, Queensland, Australia |
Died | 3 February 1941 New Farm, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia |
(aged 82)
Resting place | Toowong Cemetery |
Nationality | Australian |
Political party | Ministerialist |
Spouse(s) | Margaret Gilchrist Kingston (d. 1903) |
Occupation | Clerk, Accountant, Company director |
Thomas (Tom) Welsby (29 November 1858—3 February 1941) was a businessman, author, politician, and sportsman in Queensland, Australia. He was a Member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.
Born in Ipswich, Queensland in 1858, Welsby was the fourth of ten children of William Welsby and Hannah Welsby (née Billsbrough.) His parents migrated from Cornwall, England to Moreton Bay three years earlier in 1855. He was educated at Mr John Scott's school and Ipswich Boys' Grammar School. In his senior year he won prizes in history, arithmetic and Latin. As a child, Welsby aspired to study medicine at Sydney University; however this became impossible following the death of his father in 1874. The loss of his father caused the Welsby family to sell their substantial house in Ipswich and move to Brisbane. He started his working life in June 1874 at age 15 with the Bank of New South Wales in Brisbane and remained there for five years until a conflict with a manager (whom he described as "imported" from Sydney) caused him to resign. In May 1879, he took up a post with the . In July 1885 at age 25, he left his employment at the Bank to commence practice as a public accountant in Brisbane.
Welsby married Margaret Gilchrist, née Kingston on 21 February 1893 at East Brisbane. Margaret died ten years later and Welsby never remarried. They had three children; a son who died in childhood and two daughters.
Welsby's business success was helped immeasurably by his affable nature and his personal popularity. He fully exploited the personal associations that he had formed during his time as a banker. His banking experience also gave him a detailed understanding of the Queensland economy and the affairs of many of the major business concerns in the Colony. After leaving the Bank, he briefly became a member of the but within a few months he opened an office as an accountant, trustee and auditor. He subsequently was engaged to audit the financial statements of the Brisbane Town Council. At that time the position of auditor was an elective one with a £60 fee and he remained in the position for ten years.