1. Thomas Wilford held the seats of Wellington Suburbs then Hutt continuously for thirty years, from 1899 to 1929.
23 Facts About Thomas Wilford
1. 2.
Thomas Wilford's parents were the surgeon John George Frederick Wilford and his wife, Elizabeth Catherine Mason.
3.
Thomas Wilford was a keen sportsman and athlete in his youth and competed in several sports including rugby, tennis and boxing.
4.
Thomas Wilford obtained his education at Wellington College in the Wellington suburb of Mount Victoria, followed by Christ's College in Christchurch.
5.
Thomas Wilford passed his examinations as a lawyer at age 18, but could not be admitted to the bar until he had reached the legal age of 21.
6.
Thomas Wilford married Georgia Constance McLean, daughter of George McLean, on 17 February 1892 at Dunedin.
7.
Thomas Wilford then won the Wellington Suburbs electorate in the 1899 election and the new Hutt electorate from the 1902 election, which he held until he resigned on 18 November 1929.
8.
Thomas Wilford was Chairman of Committees from 1909 to 1910.
9.
Thomas Wilford was a member of the Wellington Harbour Board from 1900 to 1910, and chaired the Board from 1908 onwards.
10.
In 1901 Thomas Wilford ran for the Wellington mayoralty, losing to incumbent mayor John Aitken by 3,069 votes.
11.
Thomas Wilford championed the redevelopment of the Hutt Road and railway linking Wellington city to the Hutt Valley from 1899 and 1911, skillfully working with and around local body groups to achieve a rather costly upgrade of the existing infrastructure.
12.
Thomas Wilford resigned from the Harbour Board when he became Mayor of Wellington in 1910 for one year.
13.
Thomas Wilford almost died in 1911 after complications following an appendicitis operation.
14.
Thomas Wilford was forced to sail to England in early 1912 for more advanced surgery and during this long absence his position within the Liberal party was significantly weakened.
15.
Thomas Wilford was Minister of Justice, Minister of Marine and Minister of Stamps in the World War I National government from 14 November 1917 to 22 August 1919 under William Massey.
16.
Thomas Wilford worked with his colleagues to develop an updated policy manifesto for the next election.
17.
Thomas Wilford became the Leader of the Liberal Party and therefore Leader of the Opposition upon the death of William MacDonald in 1920.
18.
Thomas Wilford entered into discussions with Labour leader Harry Holland over a joint campaign and upon winning, forming a coalition to set up a proportional representation electoral system.
19.
The talks broke down however after Thomas Wilford demanded to hold office for a full term before holding an election under the new system.
20.
However, the Liberals were still unable to regain office and by 1925, Thomas Wilford had yielded the leadership to George Forbes.
21.
Labour politician, John A Lee, a colleague who knew Wilford well, stated that while no one could have saved the Liberal party from its ultimate demise, if Wilford had been in better health, he would have delayed it, returning the Liberals to power and served as Prime Minister himself.
22.
Thomas Wilford resigned from Parliament on 18 November 1929 to become High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
23.
Thomas Wilford died at Wellington on 22 June 1939, survived by his wife and two children.