Sir Thomas Elder GCMG (5 August 1818 – 6 March 1897) was a Scottish-Australian pastoralist, highly successful businessman, philanthropist, politician, race-horse owner and breeder, and public figure.

Peter to establish a sheep run they named Warrow Station, located at Coulta near Port Lincoln.

In 1864 he persuaded Arthur Hardy to sell him his Glen Osmond home "Birksgate", which he developed considerably.

[13] He became associated with Peter Waite in the Paratoo run in 1862, in the same year he bought Beltana station, and eventually became the owner of an enormous tract of country.

Other properties Elder acquired during this time included Ketchowla Station, Oulnina, Anabama, Tualkilky, Grampus, Ouratan and Netley.

Much of this was land with a very low rainfall, and Elder spent a great deal of money sinking artesian wells, making dams and fencing.

In January 1866[15] he imported 120 camels from India with "Afghan" attendants, which were of much use in the dry areas and in conveying supplies from Port Augusta.

In 1868 he chartered Henry Simpson's Kohinoor to return the "Afghans" and bring out another 60 camels and a fresh contingent of attendants.

[1][4] He attended the Paris Exhibition of 1878 as honorary commissioner for South Australia, and during this time he received his knighthood (KCMG).

Elder encouraged exploration, contributed largely to Warburton's 1873 expedition and Giles's in 1875, supplying camels in each case, which proved to be of the greatest value.

He himself published a small booklet in 1893: Notes from a Pocket Journal of a Trip up the River Murray in 1856, recounting a voyage in the steamer Gundagai.

After Lamb's resignation in 1885 to take up a post at Owens College, Manchester, separate Chairs in Mathematics and Physics were established.

The Elder Chair of Mathematics at the University of Adelaide has been held by many eminent mathematicians, including Nobel Prize winner Sir William Henry Bragg.

[50] Another set of semi-detached cottages in Arts and Crafts style were built in 1901–2, at 36-50A & 39-45A Rose Street, Mile End,[51] and are now state heritage-listed.

In 1898 funds from the bequest were used to buy land and construct the society's office at 17 Morialta Street, Adelaide, which was named "Elder Hall" in his honour,[52][53][54] and is state heritage-listed.