Thomas Crawford

Thomas William Crawford (31 January 1865 – 8 June 1948) was a long-serving member of the Australian Senate and joint Father of the Senate. Early life Crawford was born on 31 January 1865 in East Collingwood, Victoria. He was the oldest of seven children born to Helen and Thomas Crawford. His mother was born in England, while his father was born in County Armagh, Ireland, and moved to Australia during the Victorian gold rush. Crawford's father ran a store at Woods Point on the Gippsland goldfields, and later took up land on the Gippsland Lakes. He received limited schooling and worked on the family farm from a young age. In 1879, his father "mysteriously disappeared". Crawford subsequently secured a printing apprenticeship with the Gippsland Mercury in Sale. He moved to Melbourne to work on The Australasian, then after two years moved north to Brisbane and joined the Brisbane Courier. He joined the Queensland Typographical Association (QTA), which by the late 1880s was one of the strongest printers' union in Australia. He became secretary of the QTA in 1887 and grew its membership by touring the colony. Crawford served on the 1891 royal commission into working conditions, as a representative of the labour movement. He was elected president of the QTA in February 1892, holding office until July 1893 and also serving as a delegate to the Australian Labour Federation. His union was hit hard by the 1890s depression.