FERGUS, THOMAS (1851-1914) was born at Ayr, Scotland, and emigrated to Victoria with his father, continuing his education there and finishing it at Otago University after their arrival here in 1869. Qualifying as a civil engineer, he joined the service of the Otago provincial government and was district engineer for the goldfields from 1872 till shortly before the extinction of the provincial system in 1876. Fergus then entered into partnership with D. Henderson as contractors and carried out the Mosgiel-Outram railway, the Patea line, the New Plymouth waterworks and the Bluff railway wharf. In 1886 he joined J. B. Blair and they constructed the Mersey-Deloraine railway in Tasmania and the Heidelberg-Alphington line in Victoria. In the nineties he gave up contracting and joined Donald Reid (whose daughter he married in 1878) as stock and station agents and grain merchants.

Fergus was invited to stand for the Wakatipu electorate in 1878, but declined for business reasons. He stood in 1881 and captured the seat, which he retained till 1893. He was Minister of Justice and Defence in the Atkinson Government (1887-89) and of Public Works and Mines (1889-91). He was a member of the Otago education board, vice-president and chairman of the Otago jubilee committee (1898) and treasurer of the Mechanics' Institute. Fergus was a director of the Kaitangata Coal Co., the Hartley and Riley Dredge Co., the Westport Coal Co., and the Bank of New Zealand (1914). He died on 30 Sep of that year.

N.Z.P.D., 30 Sep 1914; Cycl. N.Z., iv. (P); Otago Daily Times, 1 Oct 1914.

Reference: Volume 1, page 140

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