page_title: Edward Deas Thomson
section_title: Background and early career
hierarchical_section_title: Edward Deas Thomson / Background and early career
caption_attribution_description: English: Portrait of Edward Deas Thomson, Colonial Secretary, by William Nicholas, 1847-1848, from Baker, W. (1847). Heads of the People&#160;: An Illustrated Journal of Literature, Whims, and Oddities, State Library of New South Wales, Q059
context_page_description: Sir Edward Deas Thomson KCMG, CB, was an Australian administrator, politician and chancellor of the University of Sydney.
context_section_description: Thomson was born at Edinburgh, Scotland. His father, Sir John Deas Thomson, was accountant-general to the navy and married Rebecca, daughter of John Freer. Their son was educated at Edinburgh high school, and at Harrow in England. He afterwards spent two years in study at Caen in Normandy, France. His tutor there, from September 1815, was Joseph Lowe.
  Thomson then began working with his father who at that time was reorganizing the system of keeping accounts in the navy. In 1826 Thomson visited the United States and Canada, and on his return in 1827 accepted the position of registrar of the orphan chambers at Demarara. Before leaving England he was able to arrange to exchange this position for that of clerk to the New South Wales legislative and executive councils.
caption: A younger Sir Edward Deas Thomson by William Nicholas 1847-1848.
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