Frederick Whitaker
Speaker of the Legislative Council | |
|---|---|
| In office 1855–1856 | |
| Preceded by | William Swainson |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Bartley |
| 1st Attorney-General | |
| In office 7 May 1856 – 20 May 1856 | |
| In office 2 June 1856 – 12 July 1861 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 23 April 1812 Bampton, Oxfordshire, England |
| Died | 4 December 1891 (aged 79) Auckland, New Zealand |
| Resting place | St Stephen's Cemetery, Parnell, New Zealand |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse |
Augusta Griffith
(m. 1843; died 1884) |
| Children | 8, including: Frederick Alexander Whitaker |
| Parent(s) | Frederick Whitaker Susanna Humfrey |
Sir Frederick Whitaker
Early life
Whitaker was born at the Deanery
Whitaker lived in Auckland and was appointed a County Court judge until this position was abolished in 1844, at which time he returned to work as a lawyer. He was appointed to the General Legislative Council on 3 March 1845 until 22 December of that year.[2] He was then appointed to the Legislative Council of New Ulster Province, but that Council had not met when the new Constitution arrived.[3] He transferred to the new Legislative Council on 26 May 1853 and remained a member until his resignation on 19 December 1864. He was again appointed on 8 October 1879 and remained a member until his death 12 years later.[4] He also served as a major in the militia.
He was elected onto the
Attorney-General
Whitaker became the first
First Premiership
Whitaker's term as Premier lasted just over a year until November 1864. His term ended due to differences between himself and Governor Grey over the conduct of the New Zealand Wars. Whitaker also resigned as a member of the Legislative Council. He served briefly as the member of Parliament for Parnell from 1866 to 1867.
In October 1865 he was elected Superintendent of Auckland Province, which office he held until 1867. Then for nine years he stayed away from public office.
Second Premiership
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1866–1867 | 4th | Parnell | Independent | ||
| 1876–1879 | 6th | Waikato | Independent | ||
In 1876 he became MP for Waikato and later Attorney-General again in Atkinson's government; the Atkinson Ministry lasted until October 1877. Whitaker lost his seat in the House in 1879, when he was defeated for Eden. However, when Premier Hall wanted him to serve as Attorney-General again, he was appointed once more to the Legislative Council in 1879. When Hall resigned in April 1882, Whitaker became Premier for the second time, serving until September 1883.
Whitaker was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1884 and served again as Attorney-General, and as leader of the Legislative Council from 1887 to 1890. By then his health was failing, and he died in Auckland on 4 December 1891. He was buried at St Stephen's Cemetery in Parnell.[9]
Notes
- ^ a b Stone, R. C. J. "Whitaker, Frederick - Biography". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 14 January 2012.
- ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 17.
- ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 18.
- ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 87.
- ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 186.
- ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 181.
- ^ Scholefield 1950, pp. 31–32.
- ^ Scholefield 1950, pp. 33.
- ^ "Imposing funeral cortege". Auckland Star. 7 December 2015. p. 3. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
References
- Burke, Edmund (1891). Annual Register. Longmans, Green and Co. p. 209.
- Scholefield, Guy (1950) [1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.
- The New Zealand Official Year-book. 1905. p. 25.
