Person
Thompson, James (1863 - 1945)
- Born
- 22 August 1863
Drogheda, Louth, Ireland - Died
- 2 January 1945
Perth, Western Australia, Australia - Occupation
- Civil engineer
Summary
James Thompson MInstCE was engineer-in-chief of the Public Works Department of Western Australia from 1904-1925. Of 6590 km of government railways built in Western Australia before World War II, 4690 km of main track were constructed while he controlled the department.
Details
For a detailed list of Associated Works, see entry for James Thompson in Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland, Volume 3: 1890-1920, pp.596-7.
Chronology
- 1882
- Education - Bachelor of Engineering (BE), University of Ireland
- 1882 - 1889
- Career position - Assistant Engineer, Dublin Docks and Harbours Board
- 1889
- Life event - Migrated to Victoria, Australia
- 1889 - 1891
- Career position - Assistant Engineer, Survey Branch, Victorian Railways
- 1891
- Life event - Moved to Western Australia
- 1891 - 1904
- Career position - Engineer, Public Works Department, Western Australia [under C. Y. O'Connor MInstCE]
- 3 Mar 1891
- Career event - Associate Member (AssocMInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London
- 1894 - 1896
- Career position - Resident Engineer, Northam-Southern Cross-Kalgoorlie railway, Public Works Department, Western Australia
- 1896 - 1904
- Career position - Engineer in charge, Harbours and Rivers Branch, Public Works Department, Western Australia
- 12 Dec 1899
- Career event - Member (MInstCE), Institution of Civil Engineers, London
- 1904 - 1925
- Career position - Engineer-in-Chief, Public Works Department of Western Australia
- 1910
- Career position - Founding President, Western Australian Institution of Engineers
- 1925
- Life event - Retired
- 1945
- Life event - Buried, Karrakatta cemetery.
Related entries
Published resources
Book Sections
- Strickland, R. M., 'Thompson, James (1863-1945), Engineer' in Australian Dictionary of Biography, John Ritchie, ed., vol. 12 (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1990), p. 210. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A120229b.htm. Details
Edited Books
- Battye, J.S. ed., The Cyclopedia of Western Australia : an historical and commercial review, descriptive and biographical facts figures and illustrations : an epitome of progress [Volume 1], vol. 1 (Perth: Cyclopedia Co, 1912), 776 pp, https://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-250451699. 'James Thompson, BE MICE' Vol1, p.495. Details
- Chrimes, M. M.; Cox, R. C.; Cross-Rudkin, P. S. M.; Elton, J. M. H.; Hurst, B. L.; McWilliam, R. C.; Rennison, R. W.; Sutherland, R. J. M.; Thomas, R. E. ed., Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers in Great Britain and Ireland, Volume 3: 1890-1920 (London, United Kingdom: Thomas Telford Publishing, 2014), 775 pp. 'Thompson, James', pp.596-7. Details
Resources
- Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q21539669. Details
- Institution of Civil Engineers, London, 'Application: 7774, 1891', Civil Engineer Membership Forms, 1818-1930, ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com.au/search/collections/3585/. Details
- 'Thompson, James (1863-1945)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1468672. Details
Rosanne Walker; Ken McInnes
Created: 30 June 1997, Last modified: 31 August 2023