given little time to enjoy the crowning glory of his political career, as he died on 8 August of the same year at the first Commonwealth Parliament meeting in Melbourne. He died of a combination of bronchial catarrh and heart failure. Groom was the first serving member of the Australian Parliament to die. (Sir James Dickson, Minister for Defence, had died in January, but that was before the first parliament had been elected). Groom's body was returned to Queensland for burial in the Drayton and Toowoomba Cemetery. Legacy William Henry Groom was succeeded as the member for Darling Downs by his third son Littleton Groom, who won the seat in Australia's first federal by-election and later became Speaker of the House of Representatives. William Henry Groom was also the father of Queensland State parliamentarian (MLC) Henry Littleton Groom. His home, Millbrook, is listed on the Queensland Heritage Register. See also List of convicts transported to Australia References D. B. Waterson, 'Groom, William Henry (1833 - 1901)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 4, MUP, 1972, pp. 304–305. Retrieved on 30 December 2008. External links The Toowoomba Chronicle The Life of W. H. Groom (with special reference to Federation) William Henry Groom, convict Queenslander Further reading 1833 births 1901 deaths Members of the Australian House of Representatives for Darling Downs Convicts transported to Australia Mayors of Toowoomba Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Speakers of the Queensland Legislative Assembly Australian auctioneers Protectionist Party members of the Parliament of Australia 19th-century Australian politicians 20th-century Australian politicians 19th-century Australian businesspeople