[2] His parents had married in 1824 in Limerick, Ireland, and later that year, Thomas Baillie had joined the Colonial Office, and had quickly been appointed commissioner of Crown lands and Surveyor General of New Brunswick.

He received a commission to the 24th (2nd Warwickshire) Regiment of Foot and spent six years in India, where he saw action in the Second Anglo-Sikh War, with battles at the Chenab River, at Sadoolapore, Chillianwala, and Gujrat.

He initially had a sheep run of 5,000 acres (2,000 ha) in the Wairau Valley but sold the land at settled at Para near Picton.

[5] He was last elected as Chairman of Committees in 1901 when he consented to stand in a ballot; the intention was to keep out the government nominee, William Cowper Smith.

[7] Captain Baillie died aged 95 at his daughter's residence in Maoribank, Upper Hutt, New Zealand on 24 February 1922.