Person

Tate, Thomas (1842 - 1934)

Born
25 June 1842
Alnwick, Northumberland, United Kingdom
Died
27 January 1934
Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia
Occupation
Explorer, Medical practitioner and Teacher

Summary

Thomas Tate studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh but did not complete his studies. This did not stop him being employed as a ship's doctor on voyages to Spitsbergen in 1860 and then to New Zealand. After several years as dispenser at the Invercargill Hospital and engaged in gold mining, Tate moved to Melbourne. In January 1872 he was again ship's doctor, this time with the New Guinea Prospecting Association, heading for the Fly River. The ship foundered near Bramble Reef in the Great Barrier Reef. Later that year Tate was appointed naturalist with the Northern Exploring Party, a Queensland government initiative to explore Cape York under the leadership of William Hann. With Norman Taylor, geologist with the Party, Tate collected botanical specimens which were sent to the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The Tate River was named in his honour. In 1874 Tate joined the Queensland Department of Public Instruction, teaching at schools including Oakey Creek, Normanton, Thursday Island and St Lawrence. After over 40 years teaching Tate retired in 1918.

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Details

Chronology

January 1872 - February 1872
Career position - Ship's doctor, New Guinea Prospecting Association expedition to Fly River, New Guinea
June 1872 - November 1872
Career position - Naturalist, Northern Exploring Party
1874 - 1918
Career position - Teacher, Queensland Department of Public Instruction

Related People

Published resources

Journal Articles

  • Pearn, John, 'Thomas Tate (1842-1934): Doctor, Adventurer and Teacher', Journal of the Royal Historical Society of Queensland, 17 (8) (2000), 354-360. Details

Resource Sections

See also

  • Fagg, Murray, 'Tate, Thomas (1842 - 1934)', Australian Plant Collectors and Illustrators, Council of Heads of Australian Herbaria (CHAH), 2010, https://anbg.gov.au/biography/tate-thomas.html. Details
  • Pearn, John Hemsley, A doctor in the garden: nomen medici in botanicis: Australian flora and the world of medicine (Herston, Qld: Amphion Press, 2001), 497 pp. Details

Helen Cohn

Created: 13 March 2025

EOAS ID: biogs/P007645b.htm

This Edition: 2026 February - 1926 Centenaries
Kooyang - Gariwerd calendar - Late summer: late January to late March - season of eels
Reference: https://www.bom.gov.au/resources/indigenous-weather-knowledge/indigenous-seasonal-calendars/gariwerd-calendar#bom-anchor-list__item-kooyang-season-of-eels

Publisher: Swinburne University of Technology.

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