William Hutchison (New Zealand politician)

William Hutchison (1820 – 3 December 1905) was a New Zealand politician and journalist. Hutchison and his son George were both Members of Parliament.

William Hutchison in 1882

Early life

Hutchison was born in Banffshire, Scotland, and trained as a journalist.[1] On 12 August 1846, he married Helen Hutchison (née Aicheson) of Inverness.[2] They emigrated to New Zealand in 1866 for him to take up employment with The Southern Cross.[1][3]

Life in New Zealand

New Zealand Parliament
Years	Term	Electorate		Party
1879–1881	7th	City of Wellington		Independent
1881–1884	8th	Wellington South		Independent
1890–1893	11th	City of Dunedin		Liberal
1893–1896	12th	City of Dunedin		Liberal

A journalist,[4] Hutchison worked for The Southern Cross in Auckland for some months, then bought the Wanganui Chronicle and started the Tribune in Wellington.[1]

He was Mayor of Wanganui, New Zealand from 1873 to 1874.[1] Then he was Mayor of Wellington from 1876 to 1877, and from 1879 to 1881.[5] As Mayor of Wellington, a central issue was whether the Wellington Waterfront should be controlled by the city council or a separate entity.[5]

He was a member of the Wellington Provincial Council from 1867 to 1876 for the Wanganui electorate.[6]

He stood in the 1875 election in the Hutt electorate and was decisively beaten by the incumbent, William Fitzherbert.[7] He represented the City of Wellington in Parliament from 1879 to 1881, then Wellington South from 1881 to 1884, when he was defeated.[8] He moved to Dunedin in 1884.[2]

He unsuccessfully contested the Bruce electorate in the 1885 by-election, and the Dunedin Central electorate in the 1886 by-election where he was a controversial candidate. He then stood for the Roslyn electorate in the 1887 general election.[1] He then represented the City of Dunedin from 1890[9] to 1896, when he was defeated.[8] He came fifth in the 1896 election in the three-member Dunedin electorate.[10] Following the death of Henry Fish, he contested the resulting 1897 by-election. Alexander Sligo, Hugh Gourley and Hutchison received 5045, 4065 and 2030 votes, respectively.[11] He was a supporter of the Liberal Party.[12]

His son George Hutchison represented Taranaki electorates in Parliament. For six years (from 1890 to 1896) they were in Parliament at the same time,[8] and were often seen glaring at each other from opposite sides of the house.[13]

Another son, Sir James Hutchison, was editor of the Otago Daily Times.[3]

Death

Hutchison's wife died five years before him.[2] He had been ill for some time before he died on 3 December 1905 at his home in Queen Street, Dunedin.[14] He was survived by four sons and four daughters.[2]

Hutchison Road in Wellington was named in his honour.[15]

Notes

1. "BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES". The Star (7030). 8 December 1890. p. 3. Retrieved 28 April 2010.
2. "Obituary". Otago Witness (2699). 6 December 1905. p. 81. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
3. "Obituary". Otago Daily Times (13457). 4 December 1905. p. 2. Retrieved 7 January 2016.
4. "New Member". Evening Star. 6 December 1890.
5. "Past Mayors of Wellington – 1842–1889". Wellington City Council. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
6. Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer. p. 238.
7. "The Hutt Election". The Evening Post. XII (154). 30 December 1875. p. 2. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
8. Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. p. 207. OCLC 154283103.
9. "The General Election, 1890". National Library. 1891. p. 2. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
10. "The General Election". Otago Witness (2232). 10 December 1896. p. 26. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
11. "Dunedin City Election". Otago Witness. 14 (2276). 14 October 1897. p. 30. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
12. "On the Eve of the Battle". The Wanganui Herald. XXVII (8336). 27 November 1893. p. 2. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
13. Thomson, Jane (editor) (1998). Southern People: A dictionary of Otago Southland biography. Longacre Press Dunedin & Dunedin City Council. p. 242. ISBN 1-877135-119.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
14. "Death". Otago Witness (2699). 6 December 1905. p. 47. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
15. Irvine-Smith 1948, p. 109.

References

• Irvine-Smith, F. L. (1948). The Streets of My City. Wellington: A. H. & A. W. Reed.
• No Mean City by Stuart Perry (1969, Wellington City Council) includes a paragraph and a portrait or photo for each mayor.