Thomas Reibey

Thomas Reibey
11th Premier of Tasmania
In office 20 July 1876 – 9 August 1877
Preceded by	Alfred Kennerley
Succeeded by	Philip Fysh
Personal details
Born	24 September 1821 Hadspen, Van Diemen's Land
Died	10 February 1912 (aged 90) Launceston, Tasmania, Australia
Spouse(s)	Catherine Macdonald Kyle
Religion	Anglican

Thomas Reibey (24 September 1821 – 10 February 1912) was an Australian politician and Premier of Tasmania from 20 July 1876 until 9 August 1877.

Reiby was born in Hadspen, Van Diemen's Land, (now Tasmania) the son of Thomas Haydock Reibey and Richarda Allen, and a grandson of Mary Reibey. Reibey was educated at Trinity College, Oxford. His father died before he graduated and he returned to Tasmania. In 1843 Reiby was admitted to Holy Orders by Bishop Francis Nixon. He was for some years rector of Holy Trinity church, Launceston, and afterwards rector of Carrick, where he built and partly endowed a church. About 1858 he became archdeacon of Launceston.

Political career

Reibey entered the Tasmanian House of Assembly as member for Westbury in 1874 and continued to represent it for 29 years. From March 1875 to July 1876 he was leader of the opposition and then became premier and colonial secretary. But parties were not clearly defined, there was much faction, and his ministry lasted only a little more than a year. He was again leader of the opposition from August 1877 to December 1878 when he became colonial secretary in the William Crowther ministry until October 1879. In July 1887 he was elected speaker of the house of assembly and competently filled the position until July 1891. He was minister without portfolio in the Edward Braddon ministry from April 1894 to October 1899.

Four years later Reibey retired from politics and confined his interests to country pursuits for the remainder of his long life. He had two estates and kept a stud of horses which he raced purely for the love of sport. In 1882 he won the Launceston Cup and had just failed to win the Melbourne Cup with Stockwell — he bought Malua as a yearling, which won the Melbourne Cup in 1884. He retired from racing towards the end of his life on account of his disapproval of some incidents that had occurred in connection with it. He was president of more than one racing club and gave much energy to the improvement of agriculture as president of the Northern Agricultural Society. Keeping his faculties to the end he died aged 90 on 10 February 1912. He married in 1842 Catherine McDonall, daughter of James Kyle of Inverness, who predeceased him. He had no children.

References

• Serle, Percival (1949). "Reiby, Thomas". Dictionary of Australian Biography. Sydney: Angus and Robertson.
• Peter Bolger, 'Reibey, Thomas (1821 - 1912)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 6, MUP, 1976, p. 17. Retrieved 17 October 2012
• The Mighty Malua
• Parliamentary library profile

Further reading

• Blomfield, Henry Wilson.(1870) A full report of the great libel case, Reibey v. Blomfield : tried at the Supreme Court, Launceston, before His Honor Sir Francis Smith, Knt., Chief Justice, June 1870. Launceston [Tas.] : Printed and published by Harris and Just, [1870] The Great libel case, Reibey v. Blomfield.