Tom Plunkett
Honorific suffix'
Constituency am 1Albert
Assembly 1Queensland Legislative
Term start 111 May 1929
Term end 129 Apr 1950
Predecessor 1John Appel
Successor 1Seat abolished
Constituency am 2Darlington
Assembly 2Queensland Legislative
Term start 229 Apr 1950
Term end 23 Aug 1957
Predecessor 2New seat
Successor 2Leslie Harrison
Birth date19 December 1878
Birth placeBrisbane, Queensland, Australia
Death date24 December 1957 (aged 79)
Death placeBrisbane, Queensland, Australia
Resting placeGleneagle Catholic Cemetery, Beaudesert
Birth nameThomas Flood Plunkett
PartyCountry Party
Other partyCPNP
SpouseMargaret Ellen Higgins Deerain (m.1915 d.1983)
OccupationDairy farmer
RelationsThomas Plunkett Sr. (father)

Thomas Flood Plunkett CBE (19 December 1878 – 24 December 1957) was a dairy farmer and member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly.[1]

Biography

Plunkett was born at Brisbane, Queensland, to parents Thomas Plunkett and his wife Maria (née Ryan). He went to Tamborine and Beaudesert State Schools before attending St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace at Spring Hill, Brisbane.[1] He was a good sportsman, and represented the district in cricket and football.[2]

Around 1898 he moved to a family property on the Albert River, at Kerry, near Beaudesert and it into one of the leading dairy farms in the area.[2] He was a founding director of the Logan & Albert Co-operative Dairy Co. Ltd in 1904 and later chairman of the co-operative for over forty years. He was a member and director of many dairy based groups at local, state, and national levels. Plunkett went on several trips to Europe and New Zealand to investigate the latest marketing techniques and the information he bought back was of great benefit to the industry across the nation.[1]

He was a made a Justice of the Peace and in 1957 appointed a CBE for his contributions to the dairy industry.[1] On 12 October 1915 he married Margaret Ellen Higgins (died 1983)[3] at St Mary's Catholic Church, Beaudesert[2] and together had 3 sons and two daughters. He died in Brisbane in December 1957[1] and was buried at Gleneagle Catholic Cemetery, Beaudesert.[4]

Political career

Plunkett was a member of the Beaudesert Shire Council from 1914 until 1932 including its chairman in 1915–1916. He then followed in his father's footsteps and in 1929 won the seat of Albert in the Queensland Legislative Assembly for the CPNP.[1]

When Albert was abolished for the 1950 state election Plunkett, by now representing the Country Party, moved to the new seat of Darlington and held the seat until his retirement from politics in 1957. His retirement was short as he died less than five months later.[1]

References

  1. ^ "Former Members". Parliament of Queensland. 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  2. ^ Plunkett, Thomas Flood (1877–1957)Australian Dictionary of Biography. Retrieved 23 March.
  3. ^ Family history researchQueensland Government births, deaths, marriages, and divorces. Retrieved 23 February 2016.
  4. ^ Gleneagle Beaudesert name indexhttp://www.chapelhill.homeip.net//index.htm Retrieved 23 March 2016.