Family
Weston's father, John James Weston, was a printer, and he came to New Zealand intending to establish a newspaper. When the family emigrated, they had five sons: John, Warwick, Henry, William Joseph, and Thomas Shailer. In 1867, Henry Weston became the sole proprietor of the Taranaki Herald, and the Weston family had a strong connection with the Herald for the following 111 years.
Weston was the patriarch of one of two dominant Canterbury families of the legal profession; the other patriarch was Justice Gresson.
On 22 August 1867, Weston married Maria Cracroft Hill, the second daughter of the Auckland solicitor Henry Hill. She died on 29 October 1908 in New Plymouth, aged 72 years.
Their first son, Thomas Shailer Weston Jr., was born on 3 July 1868 in Auckland. He was a solicitor and became a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council from 1926 until his death by suicide on 21 January 1931.
Their second son, Henry Warwick Weston, was born on 18 July 1870. He died on 17 September 1894 after an operation, aged 24. He was a solicitor, admitted in August 1891, and worked for his father.
The third son, John James Weston, was born on 4 December 1872, and their first daughter, Louisa Mary Alice Weston, was born on 5 June 1874. Both died at Hokitika in September 1877 of scarlet fever; the girl on 17 or 18 September, and the boy on 20 September.
On 21 October 1876, the Westons had had their first twins: George Thorngate Weston and Walter Crowley Weston. Both lived to old age, with George dying in 1957, and Walter in 1961. George Thorngate Weston was admitted to the bar in 1898. Walter Weston was a solicitor.
Less than two months after losing two children, on 11 October 1877, the Westons had another set of twins. Both boys died after one months: Cecil Weston on 10 November, and Arnold Weston two days later.
Their youngest son, Claude Weston, was born on 28 December 1879. A crown solicitor, he was effectively the first president of the National Party. He died suddenly on 10 November 1946 while contesting the Wellington Central electorate, and his wife, Agnes Weston, became the candidate instead. She was later a member of the suicide squad of the New Zealand Legislative Council.
George Crowley Weston was a nephew to his children. He was a Rhodes' Scholar in 1939, was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn, and gained his New Zealand registration in May 1938. He was a partner with Weston Ward & Lascelles. A son of George Thorngate Weston, Michael George Weston, was admitted in April 1952 and joined the Weston Ward & Lascelles partnership three years later. Tom Weston, a son of George Crowley Weston, is a current Queens Counsel.
A son of Claude Weston, Henry Stuart Thorngate Weston, practised in New Plymouth. He died in 1955 aged 49 years.
Thomas Shailer Weston Sr. died on 15 October 1912 at his Young Street residence in New Plymouth and he was interred at Te Henui Cemetery.
