Thomas Dick (New Zealand) - Political Career

Political Career

Parliament of New Zealand
Years Term Electorate Party
1860–1862 3rd City of Dunedin Independent
1862–1863 3rd City of Dunedin Independent
1866 4th Port Chalmers Independent
1866–1867 4th Port Chalmers Independent
1879–1881 7th City of Dunedin Independent
1881–1884 8th Dunedin West Independent

Dick was active in politics in the Otago District of New Zealand. He was elected to the Otago Provincial Council on 12 February 1859. He was Provincial Secretary for several years and was Superintendent from 1865–1867.

The 1865 election for the Superintendency was caused by the resignation on 23 June 1865 of John Hyde Harris, who claimed significant differences in opinion with his executive, as well as a need to devote more time to his private financial affairs, as reasons for his resignation. At the nomination meeting, Dick, Henry Clapcott and Edward McGlashan were proposed. Clapcott had been on the Executive of the Provincial Council from May 1864 (when he was first elected onto the Council) until April 1865. McGlashan had been on the first Council (1853–1855) and had represented the City of Dunedin electorate in Parliament from 1860 until his resignation in 1862. Clapcott withdrew his candidacy (apparently, he was not well received by the voters) and resigned from the Council a month later. The election was held on 4 August 1865 and with 990 votes to 565, Dick achieved a clear majority.

He represented four Dunedin electorates, first the City of Dunedin electorate from 1860 to 1862 and 1862 to 1863, then the Port Chalmers electorate in 1866 and 1866–1867, then the City of Dunedin electorate again from 1879 to 1881, then the Dunedin West electorate from 1881 to 1884, when he was defeated by William Downie Stewart by 504 votes to 480 in the 1884 election. Previously he had not been defeated; he had resigned the seat he then held in 1862, 1863, 1866, 1867 and 1881. Dick contested the Dunedin West electorate again in the 1887 election, but he was again defeated by Stewart by a similar margin (708 votes to 695). He was then offered to be appointed to the Legislative Council, but he declined and retired from politics.

In Port Chalmers, Dick was elected on 17 March 1866 and resigned on 15 October 1866. He successfully contested the 15 December 1866 by-election, but resigned again on 26 April 1867. David Forsyth Main succeeded him through the 1867 by-election.

Dick served in three Ministries: Hall, Whitaker, and the third Atkinson. He was Colonial Secretary from 5 March 1880 and held this role continuously until the defeat of the third Atkinson Ministry on 16 August 1884. He was appointed Minister of Education on 15 December 1880 in the Hall Ministry and also continuously served in this role until 16 August 1884. He was appointed Minister of Justice on 23 April 1881 in the Hall Ministry and held this role until 11 October 1882 during the term of the Whitaker Ministry. He was Postmaster-General and Electric Telegraph Commissioner in the Whitaker Ministry (11 October 1882 – 25 September 1883).

The author of The History of Otago says about Dick that "he distinguished himself more by an assiduous devotion to duty than by any display of brilliance."

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