Thomas Frederic De Courcy Browne (1838 – 9 October 1899) was an Irish-born Australian politician and journalist.

He was born inDublin to John Browne and Mary O'Neill. His early life is unclear; some sources state that he was educated at theUniversity of Dublin, while others indicate he went to theVictorian goldmines as an adolescent.^[1]

He moved toNew South Wales in 1862 and mined atBurrangong Creek, where he became a local journalist and chairman of the mining court. In his capacity as chairman of the mining court, he developed an influential code of mining regulations.^[2] He edited theMurrumbidgee Herald atGundagai for a period, then acquired theBurrangong Tribune in 1864.^[3][4] In 1864, he was also serving as honorary secretary of the Gundagai Hospital.^[5] In 1865, he established theGundagai Herald at Gundagai, but sold it the next year.^[4] In 1867, he was a mining agent atGrenfell and was agent there for theEmu Creek Miner; he also served as Clerk of Petty Sessions there until his dismissal in 1868.^[6][7][8]

In 1868 he followed the gold rush toGympie, where he was a member of the local mining court.^[9] He then accepted an appointment as Acting Clerk of Petty Sessions on the Gilbert River Goldfields in July 1869, but quarreled with the Gold Commissioner, leading to both being removed from their positions.^[10][11][12]

He returned to New South Wales in 1870, living atGulgong.^[1] In February 1871, he founded theGulgong Guardian newspaper, which he published and edited until its closure in July 1873.^[13][14] In May 1873, he was found guilty of criminal libel againstThomas Alexander Browne and sentenced to six months imprisonment inDarlinghurst Gaol.^[15] He was released after one month on order of the Governor, but was immediately rearrested on embezzlement charges.^[16] TheGuardian folded two weeks after his second arrest and he was committed for trial in July 1874; the outcome is not known.^[17]

In June 1874, he founded another Gulgong area newspaper, theHome Rule Pilot, but this was short-lived.^[18] In the same month, he was elected as the Mudgee district representative on the Mining Board of New South Wales, on which he served for several years.^[19] He contested the1874-75 New South Wales election in the seat of Northern Goldfields, but was defeated.^[20] In 1880, he was serving as superintendent of the Mudgee Volunteer Fire Brigade.^[21] He contested the1882 election in the Mudgee seat, but was defeated.^[22]

Browne was elected to the Legislative Assembly at the1885 New South Wales colonial election.^[23] He was defeated in 1887, but returned in a by-election forWentworth later that year. He was defeated for good in 1889, and moved toBroken Hill and then toWestern Australia.^[1]

Browne returned toSydney in 1898, where he died from "paralysis of the brain" in October 1899. Several newspapers claimed that he had died at theCallan Park Hospital for the Insane. He was buried atWaverley Cemetery.^[24][25]

• 1838 births
• 1899 deaths
• Members of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly
• Protectionist Party politicians
• 19th-century Australian politicians
• Politicians from Dublin (city)
• Irish emigrants to colonial Australia

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