Thomas Molloy

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For the politician in Manitoba, Canada, see Thomas B. Molloy. For the American Roman Catholic bishop, see Thomas Edmund Molloy. For the Lieutenant-Governor of Saskatchewan, see W. Thomas Molloy.

Thomas Molloy
Molloy c. 1890
Member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
In office
13 January 1892 – 15 June 1894
Preceded byEdward Scott
Succeeded byGeorge Randell
ConstituencyPerth
Personal details
Born(1852-10-04)4 October 1852
Printer, store manager, real estate speculator

Thomas George Anstruther Molloy (4 October 1852 – 16 February 1938) was an Australian politician. He was a member of the

His Majesty's Theatre
, which is still open today.

Biography

Molloy was born in

Barrack and Murray Streets. By 1870, his successes enabled him to buy the entire block between Murray and Wellington for £900.[1][2]

On 18 February 1873, he married Amelia Littlejohn, with whom he had two daughters and one son. They moved to

gold rush and the resulting flow of capital into Western Australia, this had proved profitable enough an enterprise that he was of independent means and had become one of the largest landowners in Perth. His wife died on 21 April 1888, and he subsequently married Mary Reaney McHale on 23 January 1889, with whom he had two daughters.[1][4]

Political life

Molloy c. 1906

In 1884, Molloy was elected to the

Alfred Canning. The issue became a major one in the 1894 election amongst the voting public, with all three MLAs losing their seats—Molloy being defeated by Randell himself.[7][8]

After this loss, Molloy unsuccessfully contested the

Nationalist Party candidate from 1917 onwards. His last effort was at a by-election for the Metropolitan Province in 1932.[9]

He continued through this period as a

mayor of Perth in 1908–09 and 1911–12. He was known as something of a radical, espousing similar causes to those he had supported previously, with a notable achievement during his time as mayor being the ending of Perth Gas Company's monopoly on power and lighting in 1912. He also advocated public ownership of Perth's tramways, but was outnumbered by other councillors—transport remained in private ownership until the advent of the Metropolitan Transport Trust in 1958. He also opposed admission charges to enter public space and sporting events on the Esplanade, and supported the construction of free public baths.[2] After 1912, he tried repeatedly to become mayor again with poor results, being labelled "too stubborn and disputatious to work with".[1]

Civic and cultural life

Caricature of Molloy by Frederick Francis Booty

Molloy was made a

Justice of the Peace in 1895, and was appointed in 1897 to the Board of Trustees for the Karrakatta Cemetery. He became chairman of the Board in 1924 and served in that role until 26 October 1937.[4]

He was also instrumental in attracting finance and commissioning some of Perth's early cultural buildings. Up until the 1890s, Perth had no theatres, and actors performed in either the

Hay Street Mall with the assistance of Alexander Forrest, the then Mayor of Perth, and obtained a publican's licence a week later. In 1894, the Hotel Metropole was constructed on the site, and in February 1895, he announced plans for a 1,000-seat theatre to be built on land adjoining the hotel. The foundation stone was laid by Mrs A. Forrest on 8 May 1895, and the Theatre Royal opened on 19 April 1897. While its initial success was mixed, due mainly to the changing economic and demographic characteristics of Perth, by the 1930s it had become the most popular picture theatre in Perth. It eventually closed in 1977.[3][12]

By 1901, Perth had become a place of optimism and confidence fuelled by the gold rush. In 1902, after the ascension of

King Edward VII to the English throne, Molloy announced plans for a new theatre at Hay and King Streets, to be known as His Majesty's Theatre. It was completed at a cost of £46,000 by architect William Wolf and builder Frederick Liebe, and for many years boasted the largest stage in Australia. The Heritage Council of Western Australia, which listed the building in 1999, described it as having "the most lavish and well-executed ornamentation of any Federation Free Classical theatre building in Australia".[13]

Molloy went on to build other hotels, such as the Australia Hotel in Perth, the North Beach Hotel, the Brighton Hotel in Scarborough and the Oceanic (later Mosman Park) Hotel.[3]

Later life

His second wife Mary died on 7 February 1925. He was created a

papal knight commander of the Order of St. Gregory the Great
in 1931—given his anxiousness to become a knight, he went by the title of Sir from this point.

He died at St John of God Hospital, Subiaco, on 16 February 1938 and, after a requiem mass at St Mary's Cathedral, was buried in the Roman Catholic section of Karrakatta Cemetery. He was survived by one daughter from his second marriage.[1][4][9]

References

  1. ^
    OCLC 70677943
    . Retrieved 24 January 2008.
  2. ^
    Wikidata Q125967197
    .
  3. ^ a b c Heritage Council of Western Australia (1 October 1999). "Register of Heritage Places - Theatre Royal and Hotel Metropole (former)" (PDF). Retrieved 25 January 2008.
  4. ^ a b c Metropolitan Cemeteries Board (1998). Karrakatta Cemetery - Historical Walk Trail (PDF). p. 25. Retrieved 25 January 2008.
  5. ISBN 0-7309-8409-5
    .
  6. ^ "Return of Mr Molloy". The West Australian. 13 January 1892. p. 2.
  7. ^
    ISBN 0-7309-3983-9
    .
  8. ISBN 0-85564-170-3
    .
  9. ^
    ISBN 0730738140
    .
  10. ^ The West Australian, 27 August 1891, p.4.
  11. ISBN 0-85564-170-3
    .
  12. ISSN 0312-6145
    .
  13. ^ Heritage Council of Western Australia (28 February 1995). "Register of Heritage Places - His Majesty's Theatre" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2008.
Preceded by
Mayor of Perth

1908–1909 		Succeeded by
Richard Paul Vincent
Preceded by
Richard Paul Vincent
Mayor of Perth

1911–1912 		Succeeded by
Parliament of Western Australia
Preceded by Member for Perth
1892–1894 		Succeeded by
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