Lysander Thomas
Lysander Thomas | |
|---|---|
 Thomas in 1926 | |
| 18th Premier of the Hope Province | |
| In office 14 December 1936 – 13 February 1939 | |
| Governor | Thaddeus Crace |
| Preceded by | Donald Bexley |
| Succeeded by | Hendrik de Villiers |
| Member of the Hope Province Legislative Assembly for Port Hope | |
| In office 22 July 1935 – 13 February 1939 | |
| Preceded by | J. M. Barr |
| Succeeded by | Seat vacant |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 14, 1899 Tormouth, Hope Province |
| Died | February 13, 1939 (aged 39) Provincial House, Burnaby |
| Cause of death | Assasination |
| Political party | Liberal |
| Spouse | Alexandra Hepworth-Whykeham (m. 1923) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent | Sir Gwilym Thomas |
| Education | Springbank College |
| Alma mater | |
| Profession |
|
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  Dominion of Satavia |
| Branch/service |  Royal Satavian Navy |
| Years of service | 1927-1935 |
| Rank | Lieutenant commander |
| Commands | HMSS Bullhorn HMSS Rhea |
| Battles/wars | Great War |
| Awards | King's Gallantry Medal Great War Medal Mentioned in dispatches (2) |
Lysander Rupert Gwilym Thomas CS OG GWM (14 February 1899 – 13 February 1939) was a Satavian politician, lawyer and naval officer who served as the 18th Premier of the Hope Province from December 1936 until his assassination during the February Coup in 1939. Like his father, Sir Gwilym Thomas (who served as Premier of the Hope Province from 1914 to 1920), Thomas was a member of the Liberal Party and served as the leader of the Hope Province Liberal Party whilst he was premier.
Thomas was born in Tormouth, Hope Province to wealthy upper middle class parents. His father, Gwilym Thomas, was a career politician who served as Premier of the Hope Province for six years between 1914 and 1920, and later served as High Commissioner to the Kingdom of Estmere immediately before and during the Great War. Thomas' mother, Violet (neé Norwood) was the daughter of Conservative politician and long-serving Premier Sir Hector Norwood. Thomas was the youngest of six children; he had four older sisters and one older brother, Jack. Thomas was educated at Springbank College and later studied law at the University of Port Hope, and then went on to study for a master's at Queen's College, Morwall. Called to the bar aged 23 in 1922, Thomas began his career as a solicitor at Laterlinks working in Morwall. With the outbreak of the Great War, Thomas returned to Satavia to volunteer in the Royal Satavian Navy, and received his commission in January 1928; he later saw action at the Battle of Cape Devon and saw extensive service throughout the war.
Returning to Satavia upon its liberation in 1935, Thomas stood successfully as the Liberal candidate for the Division of Port Hope in the Hope Province Legislative Assembly. A brilliant orator, and aided by his familial ties, he quickly rose to prominence within the provincial Liberal party and was promoted to Minister for Labour whilst simultaneously holding the office of Attorney General in the cabinet of Donald Bexley. Bexley found himself implicated in the Reigate scandal in late 1936, and, at the behest of his cabinet allies, Thomas launched a leadership challenge which deposed Bexley.
As premier of the Hope Province, Thomas pursued a centrist agenda that left him broadly in agreement with Prime Minister Edward Limes. He focused mainly on reconstruction, as the Hope Province, and particularly Port Hope, had been left devastated by the Great War. Thomas' administration was generally successful to that end, and the Hope Province saw enormous growth, as well as a large influx of migrants leaving Euclea. During the February Coup, to which Thomas was vehemently opposed, Thomas attempted to prevent the Army from taking control of Port Hope, and deployed the Provincial Guard in a desperate attempt to stop the forces of General Harrison from taking Government House; in the ensuing fight over the building, which saw the only major attempt to stop the coup, Thomas was killed by soldiers loyal to Harrison and the National Party, and the remaining provincial guard surrendered shortly after. There is some dispute, and no consensus, as to whether Thomas was still alive when the provincial guard surrendered; soldiers present gave conflicting accounts of whether Thomas was killed in the fighting, or if he was summarily executed after the surrender. Thomas maintains a positive reputation amongst historians and scholars who usually judge his premiership as a success.