THOMSON, JAMES WILLIAM (1828-1907) was born at Auchterarder, Perthshire. Educated in Edinburgh, he graduated M.A. at Edinburgh University and proceeded to Leipzig. He came to Otago in 1859 in the Equator and took up land in the Clutha district, where he resided most of his life.

In 1864 Thomson was elected to the Provincial Council for Clutha, which he represented until 1873. For a very short period (in 1868) he was a member of the executive, and he was chairman of the public petitions committees and chairman of committees. In 1871 he was elected to Parliament for Clutha. Thomson stubbornly defended provincial institutions, and was one of the most prominent members of what was called the 'Prov' party. When the cause was lost he was entertained in Dunedin. As the president of the conference of Otago leaders to consider future policy, he protested to Lord Carnarvon against the abolition (1876). In 1879 he joined the Grey ministry as Minister of Lands a few weeks before its defeat. In 1884 Thomson proposed the no-confidence motion which resulted in the defeat of the first Stout-Vogel administration, but he declined the Governor's invitation to form a ministry. He once made a speech of 24 hours' duration in a stonewalling debate. Defeated by T. Mackenzie (q.v.) in 1887, he returned to Parliament in 1890 for the Bruce electorate, in which he was now residing. He resigned in 1892, but in 1896 was again elected for Clutha, which he represented until his retirement in 1905. In his political career he was consistent, conscientious, and without personal ambitions. He died on 4 Aug 1907.

N.Z.P.D., pass. (notably 6 Aug 1907); Otago Daily Times, 30 Oct 1875, 21 Nov 1877, 5 Aug 1907; Taranaki News, 10 Dec 1890. Portrait: Parliament House.

Reference: Volume 2, page 194

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