Thomas Tallman Gamble was born in 1833 in the state of New York. With the outbreak of the American Civil War, Gamble enlisted in the Union Army on November 29, 1861, as a 1st Lieutenant assigned to Company “G”, 11th New York Cavalry. On April 23, 1862 Gamble was promoted to Captain and transferred to Company “H” where he assumed command on the same date. On December 23, 1862, during the war, Thomas married his wife Ella Wood and they had three children; one named John who would later become well known throughout New Zealand. As the war continued, Gamble distinguished himself and was promoted a third time, on March 26, 1864, to the rank of Major; mustering out of service at Memphis, Tennessee on April 22, 1865. There were two other Gamble’s in Company “G” of the 11th New York Cavalry, a Thomas Gamble and a Henry Gamble; both of who enlisted in August 1862 at Canton, New York.

After the war Gamble found employment as a steamship company agent in New York, and later in California, and in 1880 at 44 years of age the Morristown, Morris, New Jersey census records record his occupation as “Pa. Mail Steam Ship”. Being a steamship company agent he was closely associated with the New Zealand shipping trade which led to his eventual migration to New Zealand where he arrived in Auckland, New Zealand on North Island in November 1880. There he established his residence in Auckland, and took over the agency of the Pacific Mail Company. He later returned to America, then returned to New Zealand in 1883 as the American Vice-Consul, replacing Consul Shipley. He was acting-Consul for Germany as well.

In 1886 Gamble accepted the duties of American Vice Council in Auckland, but was only in that job a short time when he became seriously ill with apoplexy; an uncontrolled bleeding into his brain due to a cerebrovascular accident, which resulted in a sudden loss of consciousness and paralysis; known today as a stroke.

At the time of his death, on April 29, 1886, Thomas was living in Auckland and was a Master of the Remeura Masonic Lodge, a suburban area of Auckland to the southeast, and his funeral was conducted by the Remeura Masonic Order. Services were held and Gamble was laid to rest in the Saint Marks Cemetery in Remeura, New Zealand. His gravesite is unmarked today; as in 1966 the church authorities at St Marks applied to have all but a few of the notable gravestones removed to turn the cemetery into a lawn. The cemetery at that time completely surrounded the church itself. Those few headstones that remain are stored beside one of the cemetery walls. Gamble’s sudden death left the consulate without representation, until Captain Francis Ropes Webb stepped in as acting Consul.

After his death his wife Ella remained in New Zealand, and continued living in Auckland until her death in September 1903.

Thomas Tallman Gamble is not the only American Civil War veteran buried in New Zealand, but is considered to be the highest ranking military officer buried there.