Andrew Joseph Thynne

Who was Andrew Joseph Thynne?

Andrew Joseph Thynne was an Australian politician.

Thynne son of Edward Thynne, was born in County Clare, Ireland. He was educated at the Christian Brothers' school, Ennistymon, by a private tutor, and at Queen's College, Galway, where he won a classical scholarship. He came to Brisbane with his parents in 1864, but the family soon after removed to Ipswich. Thynne entered the Queensland civil service, resigned later to take up the study of law, and was admitted as a solicitor in 1873.

He prospered in his profession and in 1882 was appointed a member of the Queensland Legislative Council. He was minister for justice in the second McIlwraith ministry from June to November 1888 and held the same position when the ministry was reconstructed under Morehead until August 1890. He was honorary minister in the McIlwraith-Nelson ministry from May to October 1893, and minister for justice in the succeeding Nelson ministry from October 1893 to October 1894, then postmaster-general until March 1897, and from March 1896 to March 1898 minister for agriculture.

He took a particular interest in agriculture, and was largely responsible for the founding of the agricultural college at Gatton and for the state experimental farms. During this busy period of Thynne's life he also represented Queensland at the 1891 federal convention, at the 1894 Colonial Conference held in Ottawa, Canada and at the postal conference at Hobart in 1895, and at the Pacific Cable conference in 1895-6. He was associated with the foundation of the University of Queensland, became a member of the first senate in 1910, vice-chancellor in 1916, and chancellor in 1926. During the 1914-18 war he worked with immense energy as chairman of the recruiting committee, resigning this post to carry on a campaign for conscription. He had joined the Queensland volunteer defence force when a young man in 1867 and had attained the rank of Lieutenant-colonel. He was a first-rate rifle-shot, having twice won the Queen's prize, and more than once captained the Queensland rifle team.