BUICK, THOMAS LINDSAY (1866-1938) was born at Oamaru, the son of John Walker Buick, educated at the South school there and taught the trade of a carpenter. At the age of 18 he moved to Blenheim, where he took his first interest in public affairs. He joined the local branch of the Irish National League and lectured in favour of home rule in Wellington and Christchurch.

In 1890 he was elected to Parliament as the representative of Wairau, defeating A. P. Seymour. He was one of the first labour members of the House. As secretary of the Liberal Association Buick was selected by Ballance as organising secretary of the Liberal Federation. Re-elected to Parliament in 1893, he became Liberal whip but showed a degree of independence, especially in his denunciation of the abolition of the railway commissioners. Having lost his seat at the following election (1896), he devoted himself to journalism, purchasing a third interest in the Manawatu Standard at Palmerston North. While living there Buick published his first volumes on New Zealand history, Old Marlborough (1900) and Old Manawatu (1903). In 1903 he moved to Dannevirke, acquiring an interest in the Advocate. While there he published (1911) his life of Te Rauparaha under the title of An Old New Zealander. In that year he visited England and on his return he sold his interest in the paper and moved to Wellington, where in 1913 he joined the staff of the United Press Association, of which he was first assistant when he retired (1933). In 1914 he published the first edition of The Treaty of Waitangi, of which the third appeared in 1933. He was elected a fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He published later New Zealand's First War (1926), The French at Akaroa (1928), and The Mystery of the Moa (1931). In 1933 Buick retired from journalism to devote his whole time to history. For the last year or two of his life he occupied an official post at the Turnbull Library in succession to Elsdon Best. His later historical works were The Discovery of Dinornis (1936), The Moa Hunters of New Zealand (1937) and Waitangi, Ninety-four Years After (1934). Though without training in historical method, Buick was an avid researcher and a well-balanced historian with a graceful style of popular prose. He was chairman of the Wellington provincial historical committee (1937-38). He was devoted to music and for many years attended the brass bands competitions in New Zealand. He published in 1935 a story of Mendelssohn's Elijah and in 1927 The Romance of the Gramophone. On his death (on 22 Feb 1938) he bequeathed £1,000 to the Hocken Library and £12,000 to the National Art Gallery. (C.M.G. 1934).

Russell; Saunders; Annals N.Z. Lit.; Evening Post, 22 Feb 1938 (p); The Dominion, 22 Feb (p).

Reference: Volume 1, page 75

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