William Swainson (lawyer)
William Swainson | |
|---|---|
| 2nd Speaker of the Legislative Council | |
| In office 1854–1855 | |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Bartley |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 April 1809 Lancaster, England |
| Died | 1 December 1884 (aged 75) Auckland, New Zealand |
William Swainson (25 April 1809 – 1 December 1884) became the second, and last,
Speaker of the New Zealand Legislative Council
.
Early life
Swainson was born in Lancaster, England on 25 April 1809 and educated in Lancaster Grammar School. His legal education was in Middle Temple and he was called to the bar in 1838.[1]
HMS Tyne
He worked in
Thomas Outhwaite, who was to become Registrar of the Supreme Court in Auckland, to New Zealand. On the ship the three men began to draft "in simple, concise and intelligible language" a new system of laws which they planned to be ideal for the new colony of New Zealand.[2][3]
Legal and political activities
Within six months of their arrival in New Zealand on 25 September 1841, 19 enactments had been passed creating the basis of governance in the new colony.[2] Swainson frequently defended the interests of Māori on the issue of land claims from settlers, notably over disputes concerning the Treaty of Waitangi, which had been signed in 1840.[2]
Speaker, from 16 May 1854. He remained in this position for over a year, to 8 August 1855, when he was also replaced by Frederick Whitaker. Swainson remained a member of the Legislative Council until 18 October 1867 when he was disqualified for absence.[2]
Relations with Maori
Governor
Colonial Secretary for New Zealand, who was also at the meeting, asked Swainson to prepare a paper about this. Swainson said it was possible that English law and Maori customary law might coexist. Lord Edward Stanley, Secretary of the Colonies, was angry with the paper when it arrived in England. Stanley's Undersecretary, James Stephen, said that although the declaration of sovereignty might be an unjust breach of faith, it should stand.[4]
Isa Outhwaite, the daughter of Thomas Outhwaite, Swainson's old friend and Court Registrar, was at the bedside. Governor Grey had visited Mohi daily during his last days and Grey led Mohi's funeral procession. In the words of Swainson's biographer, John Stacpoole, Mohi was buried "no more than a leap away from Swainson's grave."[10] Swainson died a bachelor in Auckland, on 1 December 1884.[1]
Ecclesiastical activities
See also
William Swainson is commonly confused with the naturalist William John Swainson who also arrived in New Zealand in 1841.
Notes
- ^ a b c d Reid, Graeme. "Swainson, William". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
- ^ a b c d 1966 New Zealand Encyclopaedia entry on SWAINSON, William, 1809–1884
- ^ "Tyne". freepages.rootsweb.com. Retrieved 12 December 2018.[unreliable source?]
- ^ Stacpoole 2007, pp. 27–29.
- ^ Stacpoole 2007, p. 17.
- ^ Stacpoole 2007, pp. 42f.
- ^ Stacpoole 2007, p. 86.
- ^ Stacpoole 2007, p. 87.
- ^ Stacpoole 2007, p. 157.
- ^ Stacpoole 2007, p. 170.
References
- Stacpoole, John (2007). Sailing to Bohemia: a life of the Honourable William Swainson. Auckland, NZ: Puriri Press.
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