Basic Biographical Details
| Name: | James Alexander Thomson |
| Designation: | |
| Born: | 1805 |
| Died: | 1860 |
| Bio Notes: | James Alexander Thomson was born in Haddington in 1805. He appears to have been articled as an architectural apprentice when, together with his brothers William and Joseph, he was convicted of attempted jewel robbery in London in 1825 and transported to Australia on the 'Medway'. He was assigned to the Public Works Department as a draughtsman, working first under colonial architect David Lambe and then under his successor John Lee Archer. He was granted a conditional pardon in 1835, and set up practice in Liverpool Street, Hobart as estate agent, valuer, surveyor, map-maker, architect and engineer. His free pardon became effective four years later. He remained in the same office for most of his working life, mainly conducting business alone, although he carried out a number of projects in partnership with James Blackburn in 1841. He was a freemason and treasurer of Hobart lodge, and from 1853 to 1857 he was an alderman on Hobart Town Council. Although he left a wife and child behind in London, he made two subsequent marriages to wealthy widows. The first of these was in 1832 to Eliza Ogilvie, who already had three children from her marriage to a deceased Hobart wine and spirits merchant and who had produced a daughter, Alice, fathered by Thomson in 1830. A son, William, was born in 1833. After Eliza’s death in December 1852, he married Catherine, widow of prosperous builder John Jackson, in December 1853. Thomson designed several simple Gothic churches but his main work seems to have been the neo-Egyptian synagogue in Hobart which is still extant. He died of typhoid fever while on a visit to Scotland in 1860. |
Private and Business Addresses
| The following private or business addresses are associated with this : | |||||
| Address | Type | Date from | Date to | Notes | |
 | Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland | Private | 1805 | Before 1825 | Place of birth |
| Park Street, Regent's Park, London, England | Private | 1825 * | ||
| Hobart, Tasmania, Australia | Private/business | 1825 | ||
| Liverpool Street, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia | Business | 1 January 1835 | ||
* earliest date known from documented sources.
Employment and Training
Employers
| The following individuals or organisations employed or trained this (click on an item to view details): | |||||
| Name | Date from | Date to | Position | Notes | |
| Tasmanian Public Works Department | 1825 | 1839 | Draughtsman | Working under David Lambe and then John Lee Archer |
References
Bibliographic References
| The following books contain references to this : | ||||||
| Author(s) | Date | Title | Part | Publisher | Notes | |
| Australian Dictionary of Biography | Australian Dictionary of Biography | ||||
| Kadish, Sharman | 2011 | The Synagogues of Britain and Ireland | Newhaven & London: Yale | ||