William Thomas

William Thomas (29 April 1794 – 1 December 1867) represented Aboriginal people in various roles in the Port Phillip district (now known as the state of Victoria) in Australia.

Early life William Thomas was born on 29 April 1794 in Westminster, London. His father was an officer in the British army under Sir Ralph Abercrombie and died in the Battle of Alexandria in 1801. Thomas's formal education was concluded at 21 with a year on the continent, spent mainly in Spain and Gibraltar. With little capital or prospects for patronage, he founded a successful school located in Southwark on the Old Kent Road in south-east London. There he trained young men for entry to the civil service. Thomas's achievements as an educator and his devout Methodism brought him to the attention of the post-Reform Act government. Under directions from Sir George Grey, Thomas arrived in Sydney with his family on 3 August 1838. He was appointed a Justice of the Peace for the colony, having jurisdiction in both New South Wales and Victoria. He later served as a magistrate for Melbourne and its suburbs. During his tenure he learnt both the Woiwurrung and Boonwurrung language, and translated Psalm 121, the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer and the first chapter of Genesis into Boonwurrung. He was known by the people of his protectorate as "Marminata" (Good Father). In the public record this material comprises official reports, letters and submissions to parliamentary enquiries. In addition, his private papers give "a rare insight into the process of cultural continuity and collapse, and the agency of Victorian Aboriginal leaders in social and economic interactions with settlers and colonial administrations in a time of great social upheaval".

Archives The Mitchell Library: official returns; personal journals and diaries The La Trobe Library Collection of the Papers of Assistant Protector William Thomas The Public Record Office, Laverton, Victoria: reports and returns — monthly, quarterly and half-yearly

Family Thomas married Susannah Jackson, with her father Abraham Jackson as witness. William and Susannah Thomas had nine children, only 3 of which survived him.