Biographical entry Elder, Thomas (1818 - 1897)
- Born
- 5 August 1818
Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland - Died
- 6 March 1897
Mount Lofty, South Australia, Australia - Occupation
- Business executive, Pastoralist and Public benefactor
Summary
(Sir) Thomas Elder imported and bred camels to use as transport in outback Australia. A hundred of them were used in building the overland telegraph line from Adelaide to Darwin in 1872 and he also lent camels and drivers to expeditions of discovery.
Archival resources
State Library of South Australia, Mortlock Library of South Australiana
- Correspondence re a proposed Antarctic expedition, 1890 - 1897, D 7520(L); State Library of South Australia, Mortlock Library of South Australiana. Details
Published resources
Book Sections
- Gosse, Fayette, 'Elder, William (1804-1882), Alexander Lang (1815-1885), George (1816-1897), businessmen and Sir Thomas (1818-1897), businessman, pastoralist and public benefactor', in Douglas Pike (ed.), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 4, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1972, pp. 133-134. Also available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A040135b.htm. Details
Online Resources
- 'Elder, Thomas (1818-)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1005152. Details
See also
- Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Technology in Australia 1788-1988, Online edn, Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre, Melbourne, 3 May 2000, http://www.austehc.unimelb.edu.au/tia/index_e.html. Details
Rosanne Walker
Created: 25 May 2001, Last modified: 27 July 2006
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