30 Facts About Thomas Givens

Henry Thomas Givens was an Australian politician.

Thomas Givens served as a Senator for Queensland from 1904 until his death in 1928 and was President of the Senate from 1913 to 1926.

Thomas Givens began his career in the Australian Labor Party, serving briefly in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, but became a Nationalist after the party split of 1916.

Thomas Givens was born in Ireland and worked as a labourer, miner, trade unionist and newspaper editor before entering politics.

Thomas Givens was the son of Mary Ann and Robert Givens, a farmer.

Thomas Givens was educated in Ireland at a Catholic primary school, although he was a Protestant.

Thomas Givens emigrated to Australia in 1882, landing at Maryborough, Queensland.

Thomas Givens initially worked on the canefields of North Queensland and spent time in New South Wales and Victoria, "probably as an itinerant bush worker".

Thomas Givens then returned to Queensland as a miner, spending 16 years working on the goldfields around Charters Towers.

Thomas Givens helped establish a miners' union at Eidsvold and later became an organiser for the Australian Workers' Union, initially at Charters Towers.

Thomas Givens reprised his candidacy in 1896 and lost by 43 votes.

Thomas Givens succeeded on his third attempt, winning Cairns at the 1899 election.

Thomas Givens was defeated by James Lyons after a single term in 1902.

In parliament, Thomas Givens spoke mainly on the sugar industry where he was strongly opposed to the use of "black labour".

Thomas Givens proposed that Pacific Islanders be banned from working in factories and within 5 miles of a factory.

Thomas Givens was elected to the Senate at the 1903 federal election, to a term beginning on 1 January 1904.

Thomas Givens was a member of the Senate select committee into the press cable service in 1909 and served as a temporary chairman of committees from 1910 to 1912.

Thomas Givens was appointed to the royal commission into the pearling industry in 1913.

Thomas Givens was supportive of the ALP platform and was considered a "good party man".

Thomas Givens supported the expansion of invalid and old-age pensions and the introduction of maternity allowances for unwed mothers.

Thomas Givens was elected president of the Senate on 9 July 1913, replacing his ALP colleague and fellow Queenslander Harry Turley.

Thomas Givens was a significant figure in the ALP split over conscription.

The newspaper had reported Senator David Watson's allegations that Thomas Givens had attempted to bribe him to resign.

Thomas Givens's suit was unsuccessful as it was held that the article in question was a factual account of parliamentary proceedings.

Thomas Givens was protective of parliamentary privilege, opposing attempts to censor Hansard during World War I A number of his rulings established longstanding practices in the Senate, particularly around its treatment of taxation bills in accordance with section 53 of the constitution.

Thomas Givens announced his retirement from the presidency in 1926, a year before parliament relocated to the new capital Canberra.

Thomas Givens remained in the Senate as a government backbencher until his death in office on 19 June 1928.

Thomas Givens married Katie Allen in 1901, with whom he had three sons and three daughters.

Thomas Givens died of cardiac disease at his home in Canterbury, Victoria, on 19 June 1928, aged 64.

Thomas Givens was granted a state funeral and buried at Box Hill Cemetery.