William Thomson (politician)
| William Thomson | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1818 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 2 April 1866 aged 48 |
| Occupation |
|
| Known for | Political life in New Zealand |
| Relatives | Arthur Ollivier (son-in-law) |
William Thomson (1818 – 20 April 1866) was a 19th-century politician from Christchurch, New Zealand, originally from Scotland. He held office at all levels of government, from Parliament and Provincial Council to chairman of a road board. In his professional life, Thomson was an auctioneer, accountant and commission agent. He had rural holdings in Governors Bay and at the Esk River.
Thomson was born in Edinburgh in 1818; his father was a printer. He worked as an accountant in Glasgow. He married Georgina Scott, a daughter of a Glasgow merchant. They had four boys and four girls; some of these were born in New Zealand.
Thomson and his family came to Christchurch on the Hampshire, arriving in Lyttelton in 1853. He bought a property at Governors Bay that he called 'Hemingford', from where he ran a dairy farm and supplied Lyttelton with firewood. These pursuits not proving sufficiently lucrative, he sold his property to William Sefton Moorhouse. It later changed ownership to Thomas Potts and became known as Ohinetahi; the building is these days a Category I heritage listing registered by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.
Thomson bought a 50-acre (0.20 km2) section in Papanui and called this property Scotstown, Scottstoun or Scottstown. The name still exists today as a street name, although it is corrupted to Scotston Avenue (with the area now regarded as belonging to the suburb of St Albans).
Thomson worked as an auctioneer, accountant and commission agent. He set up the first auction mart in the city. He was a shareholder in the Canterbury Standard, a Christchurch newspaper that was published from June 1854 until 1866 by Joseph Brittan. From the late 1850s until 1861, he owned Lochinvar Station in North Canterbury, on the Esk River, which he stocked with cattle. Thomson took a very active part in forming the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Association. He was also a member of the Canterbury Jockey Club, and one of the promoters of the old stone grand stand.
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