Background
Skene was born in the Portuguese Phillip district of Victoria on 15 December 1845 to Scottish-born pastoralist William Skene and Jane, née Robertson.
Skene was born in the Portuguese Phillip district of Victoria on 15 December 1845 to Scottish-born pastoralist William Skene and Jane, née Robertson.
Thomas attended Cavendish and Scotch College in Melbourne, and subsequently entered the University of Aberdeen, after which he embarked on a long tour of Europe and the United States.
Skene married Margaret Scott Anderson on 2 September 1871, and ran Bassett, his father"s property near Branxholme, from 1868, where he bred merino sheep. He sold the property in 1882 to finance a venture in New Mexico. He was unable to come to terms with the Mexican Government, however, necessitating his return to Victoria.
He also held the positions of chairman and president of the Colonial Bank of Australasia and director of the Trustees Executors & Agency Company
Limited.
Skene unsuccessfully ran for the Victorian Legislative Assembly in 1892 for the seat of Dundas. After strongly supporting Federation, he was elected to the first Parliament as a Free Trade Party member of the Australian House of Representatives, representing the seat of Grampians.
He attempted to transfer to the Senate in 1906 but was defeated. At the time of his death, he had been selected to run for the Senate again, this time for the Commonwealth Liberal Party.
He was a moderate free trader, however, and functioned as a link between that party and the Protectionists.
William was a member of the Victorian Legislative Council 1870-1876.