James Frederick Stuart-Wortley JP (16 January 1833 – 27 November 1870[1][2]) was a politician in New Zealand and the UK. He was New Zealand's inaugural Baby of the House and remains the youngest member of parliament in the country's history; in fact he was too young (at 20 years and 7 months) to even be legally elected.
James Stuart-Wortley | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Christchurch Country | |
| In office 1853–1855 Serving with Jerningham Wakefield | |
| Preceded by | New constituency |
| Succeeded by | Dingley Askham Brittin John Hall |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James Frederick Stuart-Wortley 16 January 1833 York, England |
| Died | 27 November 1870 (aged 37) |
| Parent(s) | John Stuart-Wortley, 2nd Baron Wharncliffe Lady Georgiana Elizabeth Ryder |
| Relatives | Edward Montagu-Stuart-Wortley-Mackenzie, 1st Earl of Wharncliffe (brother) Charles James Stuart-Wortley (uncle) James Stuart-Wortley (uncle) Dudley Ryder, 1st Earl of Harrowby (grandfather) |
Early life
editStuart-Wortley was born in York[citation needed], United Kingdom, on 16 January 1833[3] and was the third son of the 2nd Lord Wharncliffe and his wife, Lady Georgiana Elizabeth Ryder.[4] He was the younger brother of the 1st Earl of Wharncliffe (1827–1899).[5] Charles James Stuart-Wortley and James Stuart-Wortley were his uncles.[citation needed] Dudley Ryder, 1st Earl of Harrowby was his maternal grandfather.
Career
editIn 1850, he travelled to New Zealand as a colonist on the Charlotte Jane, one of the First Four Ships sent by the Canterbury Association.[6] In his first year, he lived with other bachelors in Lyttelton—Charles Bowen, Thomas Hanmer, and Charles Maunsell—in a place dubbed "Singleton House" by Charlotte Godley.[7]
He bought 500 acres (200 ha) of land at Tai Tapu near Halswell.[4] In October 1852, he purchased Run 53, located between Lake Ellesmere / Te Waihora and the Selwyn River. He on-sold the land in June 1853 and it became part of the Harman and Davie's Station.[8] Stuart-Wortley then started Hawkeswood Station in partnership with others. This station was located north of the Waiau Uwha River.[8]
New Zealand parliament
edit| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1853–1855 | 1st | Christchurch Country | Independent | ||
On 27 August 1853, Stuart-Wortley was elected to the 1st New Zealand Parliament as a representative of the Christchurch Country electorate,[9] which consisted of rural Canterbury and much of Westland. Henry Sewell, who kept a "secret" journal,[a] recorded the following about the young man's candidacy:[11]
There is doubt whether he is actually of age. The Peerage says no, but he says yes, and upon the best authority, namely that of his family lawyers.
Stuart-Wortley was 20 years and 7 months when elected; so was not yet 21, the minimum age to qualify as an elector.[3][12]
After the first session of Parliament finished in August 1854, Stuart-Wortley travelled with Frederick Weld from Auckland (where Parliament met in those years) to Tauranga, Maketu, and Rotorua.[13] He resigned his seat on 18 July 1855[9] and returned to the United Kingdom.[14] His seat stayed vacant until the next election, which was held on 20 December 1855 in the Christchurch Country electorate.[15]
Return to England
editHe was appointed a justice of the peace in early 1858.[16] He returned to England later in 1858.[4]
In the UK, he stood for election to the House of Commons at the 1865 general election, when he was an unsuccessful Conservative Party candidate for Sheffield.[17]
Personal life
editStuart-Wortley died in England in November 1870, aged 37.[1][2] His elder brother Edward built St Mary and St John's Church, Hardraw as a memorial to him.[5]
Footnotes
editNotes
edit- ^ a b "Special Telegrams". The Star. No. 807. 27 December 1870. p. 4. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- ^ a b "The death is announced of the Hon. James Stuart Wortley in his 38th year". The Frome Times. 30 November 1870. p. 4.
- ^ a b "Youngest members of Parliament – New Zealand Parliament". parliament.nz. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
- ^ a b c Sewell 1980, p. 168.
- ^ a b "An Account of Some Yorkshire Parishes – No. 14". Yorkshire Gazette. England. 12 September 1891. Retrieved 31 December 2016 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "The Charlotte Jane". Shadows of Time. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- ^ McLintock, A. H., ed. (27 October 2011) [originally published in 1966]. "BOWEN, Sir Charles Christopher, K.C.M.G.". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage / Te Manatū Taonga. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
- ^ a b Acland 1946, p. 94.
- ^ a b Scholefield 1950, p. 141.
- ^ Sewell 1980, dust jacket.
- ^ Sewell 1980, p. 365.
- ^ "Looking back on New Zealand's youngest MPs as 17yo William Wood attempts to change history". Newshub. Retrieved 9 November 2020.
- ^ "English cottage home to NZ premier's works". Waikato Times. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 20 September 2012.
- ^ Cyclopedia Company 1903, p. 91.
- ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 97.
- ^ "Notices of Motion". Daily Southern Cross. Vol. XV, no. 1112. 23 February 1858. p. 3. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- ^ Craig 1989, p. 273.
References
edit- Acland, L. G. D. (1946). The Early Canterbury Runs: Containing the First, Second and Third (new) Series. Christchurch: Whitcombe and Tombs Limited.
- Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
- "Christchurch City And Suburban – Ex-Members of the House of Representatives". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand – Canterbury Provincial District. Christchurch: The Cyclopedia Company Limited. 1903.
- Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.
- Sewell, Henry (1980). W. David McIntyre (ed.). The Journal of Henry Sewell 1853–7 : Volume I. Christchurch: Whitcoulls Publishers. ISBN 0-7233-0624-9.