Francis Thomas Gregory

The Hon Frank Gregory
File:StateLibQld 1 68167 Francis Thomas Gregory (1821-1888).jpg
Member of the Queensland Legislative Council
In office 2 January 1874 – 23 October 1888
Personal details
Born	Francis Thomas Gregory (1821-10-19)19 October 1821 Farnsfield, Nottinghamshire, England
Died	Harlaxton House, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia
Resting place	Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery
Nationality	English Australian
Spouse(s)	Marion Scott Hume (m.1865)
Relations	Joshua Gregory (father), Augustus Charles Gregory (brother)
Occupation	Surveyor
Known for	Exploration of Australia
Religion	Church of England

Francis Thomas "Frank" Gregory (19 October 1821 – 23 October 1888) was an English-born Australian explorer and politician.

Biography

Gregory was born at Farnsfield, Nottinghamshire, England, and was the younger brother of the explorer Augustus Gregory. Francis Gregory was brought to Western Australia in 1829, entered the public service as a cadet in 1841, became an assistant in 1847 and a staff surveyor in 1849.

With his two brothers, Gregory explored country north of Perth in 1846. In 1857 he explored the Upper Murchison River, and in 1858 examined the country farther to the east and north.

In 1860, Gregory was put in charge of an expedition to explore the area around Nickol Bay and its hinterland (the western part of the region known later as the Pilbara). The British government provided £2,000 towards the expenses. Gregory left Fremantle on 23 April 1861 and four days later, at Champion Bay (later Geraldton), he was joined by three volunteers, making a party of nine. They completed the landing of the horses near the Harding River on 24 May, and started inland the following day. After reaching the Fortescue River, the expedition followed it for several days, before a turn to the south-west was made and the Hardey River was followed. On 25 June, having reached latitude 23° 56' south, they sought to retrace their steps and reached their landing place on the coast on 19 July. On 29 July, the commenced a second foray, north and east of the previous track. Gregory returned with his party on 17 October and the expedition returned to Perth, which it reached on 9 November 1861. Gregory reported that he had seen two to three million acres (80,000 or 120,000 hectares) of land suitable for grazing, and he also drew attention to the possibility of a pearling industry being established. He was subsequently awarded the gold medal of the Royal Geographical Society (1863).

In 1862, Gregory moved to Queensland, where he was appointed a Commissioner of Crown Lands. From 1874, he was a member of the Queensland Legislative Council, and for a short period in 1883, was Postmaster-General of Queensland.

Gregory died at Toowoomba on 23 October 1888 and was buried in Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery.

Legacy

File:StateLibQld 1 154555 Harlaxton in Toowoomba, Queensland, ca. 1870.jpg

Harlaxton in Toowoomba, ca. 1870

His Toowoomba home, Harlaxton House, is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.

See also

• Members of the Queensland Legislative Council, 1870–1879; 1880–1889

References

• D. B. Waterson, 'Gregory, Francis Thomas (Frank) (1821 - 1888)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 4, MUP, 1972, pp 293–295. Retrieved on 27 December 2008

External links

• Works by Francis Thomas Gregory at Project Gutenberg