Thomas Charles Beirne KSG (1860 - 1949)

Born 9 Jul 1860 in Ballymacurly, County Roscommon, Ireland

Husband of Annie (Kavanagh) Bierne — married 11 Apr 1887 in Brisbane, Colony of Queensland (Australia)

Died 21 Apr 1949 at age 88 in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

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Biography

Thomas Beirne KSG was born in Ireland.

Thomas Beirne KSG is Notable.

Thomas Beirne KSG was a businessman, politician and philanthropist in colonial and federation era Queensland (Australia).

Thomas Charles Beirne was born in County Roscommon, Ireland on the 9th of July 1860, third of eight children born to John Beirne, a farmer, and Catherine Callaghan.

Thomas Beirne KSG migrated from Ireland to Victoria.

Aged 23 years, he emigrated to Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), on board the S.S. Lusitania, arriving in February 1884. The Lusitania was wrecked off the coast of Nova Scotia in 1901. He soon obtained employment with Eyre and Shepherd as a junior salesman in the manchester department.

After receiving a letter from M D Pigott, an old employer from Tuam, Ireland, and now in Brisbane, Queensland, Thomas left for Brisbane to be an equal partner in a business. He found the shop in Stanley Street disappointing, left, and found a job with Allan & Stark also on Stanley Street. With some opportunity and planning, in 1886, the firm of Pigott & Beirne opened in Stanley Street, opposite Annerley Road.

Thomas married Annie Kavanagh in Brisbane, Colony of Queensland on the 11th of April 1887. ^[1]

They had ten children, five of whom died in infancy:

1. John (1888-88)
2. Emily (1890-1954) married Thomas Brackenridge Hooper, 1912.
3. Kathleen Mary (1891-91)
4. Catherine Cecilia (1893-1977) married Henry Alexander Cecil Douglas, 1914.
5. Eileen Elizabeth (1895-1954) married Neal Macrossan, 1921.
6. Thomas (1897-97)
7. Mary (1898-) married Oswald Ellis Joseph Douglas, 1924.
8. Bernard (1899-1900)
9. Stella (1900-) married Jack Francis Hennessy.
10. Patrick (1903-04)

Within a few years, Thomas established a successful drapery business in Brisbane; T C Beirne and Company Proprietary Limited eventually being registered with a nominal capital of £1,000,000. The TC Beirne Department Store building is now heritage-listed. TC Bierne, as he became known, became an active member of the Brisbane Traders' Association, and was elected its president in 1901. He was also a board member of Brisbane Tramway Co., Australian Mutual Provident Society, the Atlas Assurance Co. and the British Australian Cotton Association. In Brisbane Beirne became an active member of the Brisbane Traders' Association, including its president in 1901. He was also a board member of Brisbane Tramway Co, Australian Mutual Provident Society, the Atlas Assurance Co and the British Australian Cotton Association. He was also involved in the early stages of the Australian Labour Party, and from 1905 until 1922 was a member of the Queensland Legislative Council. In 2021Thomas Charles Beirne was inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame.

As one of Australia’s first millionaires, T C Beirne’s generous philanthropy created lasting community legacies. He was Warden of the University of Queensland and in 1935 donated £20,000 ($40,000) to establish the TC Beirne School of Law. He was also a benefactor of Holy Name Cathedral, Brisbane, the Pius XII Regional Seminary at Banyo, Mater Misericordiae Hospital and Duchesne College in the University of Queensland. He was awarded a papal knighthood of the Order of St Gregory by Pope Pius XI.

When Thomas passed away at home in home Glengariff, Hendra, Brisbane on the 21st of April 1949, with assets in five Australian states and Canada, he was one of Australia's few millionaires. Following a funeral in St Stephen's Roman Catholic Cathedral, Brisbane, he was buried in the Nudgee Cemetery, north of Brisbane. ^[2] His estate of £1.24 million ($2.48M) was mainly bequeathed to his five daughters and numerous grandchildren.

He is remembered in the community through:

• TC Beirne Centre, originally his department store, a shopping centre in Fortitude Valley.
• T C Beirne Park, a park that once formed part of the grounds of his Hendra home, Glengariff.
• TC Beirne School of Law at the University of Queensland.

Sources

1. ↑ Queensland BMD Marriage registration: Name: Thomas Charles Beirne; Marriage date:11/04/1887; Spouse's name:Annie Kavanagh; Registration details:1887/B/11366.
2. ↑ Queensland BMD Death registration: Name: Thomas Charles Beirne; Death date:21/04/1949; Mother's name:Catherine Callaghan; Father/parent's name:John; Registration details:1949/B/21534.

See Also:

• Find a Grave, database and images : accessed 11 July 2021), memorial page for Thomas Charles Beirne (9 Jul 1860–21 Apr 1949), Find A Grave: Memorial #173462337, citing Nudgee Cemetery, Nudgee, Brisbane City, Queensland, Australia ; Maintained by F.P.McLoughlin (contributor 48316713) .
• "Biography - Thomas Charles Beirne - Australian Dictionary Of Biography". 2021. Adb.Anu.Edu.Au.ADB, Thomas Beirne
• Thomas Beirne.
• Wikidata: Item Q15997739