Background
He was born to bedstead manufacturer James Tonkin and Jemima Stephens, and migrated to Melbourne in 1854.
He was born to bedstead manufacturer James Tonkin and Jemima Stephens, and migrated to Melbourne in 1854.
He was a goldminer at Ballarat, Bendigo, Mount Alexander and Ararat, and from 1856 to 1859 pursued business in Geelong. He followed the gold rush to New Zealand, but returned to Victoria in 1866, moving to New South Wales in 1868. In 1870 he settled in the Bathurst district, becoming a contractor and hotelier, as well as a local alderman.
In 1887 he was elected to the New South Wales Legislative Assembly as the Free Trade member for East Macquarie.
He shifted to the seat of Macquarie in 1894 but was defeated in 1895. He died at Glebe in 1906.