Thomas Rusden

Thomas George Rusden (1817 – 30 June 1882) was an Australian politician and pastoralist. He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Council between 1855 and 1856 and a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for one term between 1856 and 1857.

Early life

Rusden was the son of an Anglican clergyman who migrated to New South Wales and was appointed to a chaplaincy in Maitland in 1835. After a liberal education under his father's tutorship, Rusden squatted in the New England district and by 1844 he had acquired substantial property including 60,000 acres of pastoral land in the Shannon Vale area near Glen Innes. His nine siblings included Francis Rusden, who was also a pastoralist and member of the Legislative Assembly, the historian George Rusden and the polemicist and noted public servant Henry Rusden.

Colonial Parliament

In 1855, prior to the establishment of responsible self-government, Rusden was elected to the Legislative Council. He represented the electorate of New England and Macleay until the granting of responsible self-government in 1856. Subsequently, at the first election under the new constitution he was elected to the Legislative Assembly as one of the two members for the same seat. Rusden was defeated at the next election in 1858. He did not hold a ministerial or parliamentary position. He was unsuccessful in four attempts to regain the seat.

References

• "Mr Thomas Rusden (1817 - 1882)". Former members of the New South Wales Parliament, 1856-2006. New South Wales Parliament. Retrieved 2010-01-11.