Groom, William Henry

Toowoomba’s first mayor, William Henry Groom, is known as “the father of Toowoomba”. There is little doubt that Groom was the reason for the city’s early development.

Because of his years as a Government representative, he was able to lobby for State finance for the construction of many of Toowoomba’s early public buildings.

In public life for more than 30 years, William Henry Groom was elected Mayor of Toowoomba six times – in 1861, 1862, 1864, 1867, 1883 and 1884. Born at Plymouth in England on March 7, 1833, he overcame many handicaps early in his political career and was able to gain strong support from voters whenever he stood for election.

Groom was convicted of stealing in 1846 and was sentenced to transportation to Australia. He was a ticket-of-leave arrival on the “Hashemy” in 1849. In 1855, while working in the Bathurst area, he was convicted of gold stealing. The charge was dismissed but libel proceedings were initiated.

Arriving on the Downs in 1856, Groom had a tarnished reputation and little money. He took up a store at Drayton and from that time, became a prime agitator to have the nearby settlement of Toowoomba declared a municipality.

This was achieved in 1861 and Groom subsequently stood for and was elected the first mayor. Later that year, he became one of two members elected to represent the district of Drayton and Toowoomba in the Queensland Parliament.

A brief period in 1866, Groom held this position until elected the first Federal Member of Darling Downs in 1901. Groom divorced himself from Toowoomba in 1872 when he moved to the booming “tin town” of Stanthorpe, and set up “Groom’s Hotel”, which he operated until moving back to Toowoomba in 1874.

On June 8, 1874, Groom acquired an interest in the Toowoomba Chronicle, which was founded by Darius Hunt in 1861. He became sole proprietor of the paper on February 4, 1876.

William Henry Groom, the most prominent, popular and successful of Toowoomba’s early politicians, died in Melbourne on August 8, 1901, aged 68. He was survived by four sons and three daughters.

One son, Sir Ernest Littleton Groom (1867-1936), succeeded him as Darling Downs member of the House of Representatives, and another, Henry Littleton Groom (1859 – 1926), served in the Queensland Legislative Council for 16 years.