Richmond Hursthouse (5 May 1845 – 11 November 1902) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament in Nelson, New Zealand, and a cabinet minister.[1]
Richmond Hursthouse | |
|---|---|
 Richmond Hursthouse in c. 1876 | |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Motueka | |
| In office 6 January 1876 – 15 July 1887 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Parker |
| Succeeded by | John Kerr |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 May 1845 New Plymouth, New Zealand |
| Died | 11 November 1902 (aged 57) New Plymouth, New Zealand |
| Relations | Charles Wilson Hursthouse (brother) Torchy Atkinson (grandson) Rosalind Hursthouse (great-granddaughter) Rangimarie Hetet (niece) Kae Miller (granddaughter) Percy Smith (cousin) Henry Richmond (cousin) James Crowe Richmond (cousin) William Richmond (cousin) Jane Maria Atkinson (cousin) |
Family life
editHursthouse was born in New Plymouth in 1845, soon after his family's emigration from England.[2] His parents were John Hursthouse (1811–1860) and Helen, née Wilson (1803–1895). His parents and other family members (his father's brother, Charles Flinders Hursthouse, and a cousin, Thomas Newsham, and their families) came to New Zealand on the Thomas Sparks; they arrived in Wellington in early 1843.[3][4] John Hursthouse and family proceeded to New Plymouth, but the outbreak of the First Taranaki War saw the family move to Nelson. Richmond Hursthouse's education was restricted to one year at Nelson's Bishop's School.[2]
In 1873, he married Mary Fearon, the daughter of Edward Fearon. She died in September 1901.[2]
Activities
editAged 19, he helped with the survey of Westport. Afterwards, he returned to New Plymouth and was in the militia. He participated in various gold rushes, including Thames, Gulgong in New South Wales, and Coromandel.[2]
Political career
edit| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1876–1879 | 6th | Motueka | Independent | ||
| 1879–1881 | 7th | Motueka | Independent | ||
| 1881–1884 | 8th | Motueka | Independent | ||
| 1884–1887 | 9th | Motueka | Independent | ||
Hursthouse represented the Motueka electorate from 1876 to 1887.[5] In 1884, he held the portfolio of Minister for Lands and Immigration during the brief fourth Atkinson Ministry.[6][1]
For many years, he was a member of the Nelson Land Board and of the Nelson Education Board.[1]
He stood for Waimea-Picton in 1890,[7] Motueka in 1896, and for the City of Nelson electorate in 1893[8] and 1899,[9] and came second each time.
When Motueka became a borough council in 1899, he was the town's first mayor.[10]
Hursthouse died in New Plymouth on 11 November 1902, after falling ill with pneumonia while campaigning for the Egmont electorate.[1] He was buried at Te Henui Cemetery.[11]
Notes
edit- ^ a b c d "Obituary. Death of Mr Richmond Hursthouse". Taranaki Herald. 12 November 1902. p. 4.
- ^ a b c d Scholefield, Guy, ed. (1940). A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography : A–L (PDF). Vol. I. Wellington: Department of Internal Affairs. pp. 422f. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
- ^ "Thomas Sparks". Nelson Provincial Museum. Archived from the original on 1 March 2016. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
- ^ "New Zealand Gazette". New Zealand Gazette and Wellington Spectator. Vol. III, no. 216. 1 February 1843. p. 2. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 207.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 70.
- ^ "Waimea-Picton". Colonist. Vol. XXXIV, no. 5980. 8 December 1890. p. 3. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
- ^ "Nelson City". Nelson Evening Mail. Vol. XXVII, no. 281. 29 November 1893. p. 2. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
- ^ "The General Election, 1899". Wellington: Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives. 19 June 1900. p. 2. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
- ^ Cyclopedia Company Limited (1906). "Motueka". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts. Christchurch: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand. p. 229. Retrieved 16 November 2013.
- ^ "Cemetery search". New Plymouth District Council. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
References
edit