Thomas Joynt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas Joynt
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Sketch of Thomas Joynt
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| Born | December 1830 Dunmore, County Galway, Ireland
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| Died | 5 September 1907 (aged 77) Christchurch, New Zealand
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| Occupation | barrister and solicitor |
| Known for | senior member of the New Zealand bar |
Thomas Ingham Joynt was a very important lawyer in Christchurch, New Zealand. He was born in Ireland in December 1830. In 1856, he moved to Canterbury with his wife and child. He had already started learning about law in Dublin.
In 1863, he became a lawyer in Christchurch and started his own law firm. He worked with other lawyers over the years. Thomas Joynt was known for defending people in court, and he was also very good at cases about disagreements between people or businesses. In 1907, he was named one of the first ten King's Counsel in New Zealand, which is a very high honour for a lawyer. He worked almost until he passed away in September 1907.
He also had a role in local government. He represented Kaiapoi on the Canterbury Provincial Council from 1871 to 1876. He was also a lawyer for the Canterbury government for about 15 months. He tried to become a Member of Parliament in 1884 but was not successful. After that, he focused on his law career.
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Early Life and Moving to New Zealand
Thomas Joynt was born in 1830 in a place called Dunmore, County Galway in Ireland. His parents were Thomas and Sarah Joynt. He went to school in Tuam and then in Dublin. He began his training to become a lawyer in Dublin. There, he met a judge named Justice Gresson, who would later allow him to become a lawyer in New Zealand.
On June 11, 1856, he married Edith Abbott. Justice Gresson suggested they move to New Zealand. They sailed on a ship called the Mariner and arrived in Wellington on November 25, 1856. Their journey was quite difficult, with some people getting sick. They then traveled on another ship, the Canterbury, to Lyttelton, arriving on December 1.
Thomas Joynt's Law Career
When Thomas Joynt first arrived, he worked as a law clerk in Lyttelton at the Magistrate's Court. In 1858, he moved to Christchurch and worked for Justice Gresson, and then for another lawyer named Thomas Smith Duncan. After working for Duncan for five years, he officially became a lawyer (called a barrister and solicitor) in 1863. Justice Gresson was the one who approved him. After this, Thomas Joynt started his very own law firm.
During his long career, he worked with several other lawyers, forming different partnerships. One of his first partners was Richard Dunn Thomas, who was his wife's brother and had learned law from Joynt. He also partnered with Allan William O'Neil, Westby Perceval, and Acton Adams. His last partnership was with A C Andrews, which continued even after Joynt passed away.
Thomas Joynt also helped train many other people to become lawyers. This included his brother-in-law, James Arthur Flesher, and other important lawyers like Walter Stringer.
He became well-known for successfully defending people in important legal cases. He also handled many significant cases where people or groups had disagreements. For example, in 1872, he helped a client from Kaiapoi get a lot of money as payment for losses caused by the building of the Main North railway line.
In June 1907, Thomas Joynt was one of only ten lawyers in New Zealand to be appointed as a King's Counsel. This was a huge honour and showed he was one of the most respected lawyers in the country. He was officially sworn in on June 12, 1907. When he passed away less than three months later, the local court stopped its work for the day to show respect for him.
Thomas Joynt was the lawyer for the Avon Road Board for 40 years. He was also good friends with Robert Stout, who was the top judge in New Zealand at the time. Joynt was known for his excellent use of the English language and often used quotes from the bible, Shakespeare, and other writers. He was very clever and enjoyed talking with people. He was also very proud of how much Canterbury had grown and improved since he arrived.
Thomas Joynt's Political Role
Even though Thomas Joynt did not live in Kaiapoi, he visited there often for his work. On June 14, 1871, he was chosen to represent Kaiapoi on the Canterbury Provincial Council. This was a local government group. He was chosen again in March 1874 and stayed a member until this type of government ended on October 31, 1876.
During this time, he also served on the Executive Council for Canterbury, which was like a cabinet for the provincial government. He was the Provincial Solicitor (the government's lawyer) from January 1874 to April 1875.
In 1884, Thomas Joynt tried to become a Member of Parliament for the Christchurch South area. However, he lost the election to John Holmes. After this defeat, he decided not to run for public office again and focused entirely on his successful law career.
Family Life and Passing Away
When Thomas and Edith Joynt first arrived in New Zealand, they had one child. Many of Edith's family members later moved to New Zealand after the Joynts had settled in. From 1866 to 1885, the Joynt family lived in a home in St Albans. They renamed their home Finglas, after a place in Dublin. A street in St Albans, Scotston Avenue, is named after their property.
His wife, Edith, passed away in January 1881. Thomas Joynt passed away on September 5, 1907, after a short illness at his home. He was survived by his five sons and two daughters. He was buried at Barbadoes Street Cemetery.
