William Crowther (1834 – 15 March 1900) was a Mayor of Auckland and then Member of Parliament for Auckland, New Zealand.
William Crowther | |
|---|---|
 A parliamentary sketch of "Hard to drive" William Crowther | |
| 17th Mayor of Auckland City | |
| In office 1891–1893 | |
| Preceded by | John Upton |
| Succeeded by | James Job Holland |
| 12th MP for City of Auckland | |
| In office 1893–1900 | |
| Preceded by | John Shera |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Witheford |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1830 Slaithwaite, West Riding of Yorkshire, England |
| Died | March 1900 (aged 65–66) Auckland, New Zealand |
| Nationality |  New Zealand |
| Political party | New Zealand Liberal Party |
| Other political affiliations | Independent |
| Spouse | Georgina Stafford |
| Occupation | Owner of livery stables; Horse-bus operator; politician |
| Known for | Mayor of Auckland City |
Crowther was Mayor of Auckland from 1891 to 1893, after serving as a city councillor for sixteen years.[1]
Crowther represented the City of Auckland multi-member electorate first as a Liberal Party then independent conservative from 1893 to 1900, when he died of stomach cancer, aged 66.[2][3] The resulting by-election on 27 April 1900 was hotly contested,[4] and won by Joseph Witheford.[5]
Businessman
editWilliam Crowther was born in Slaithwaite, West Riding of Yorkshire, in 1834. Aged nineteen, he migrated to Victoria, and was a successful contractor on the goldfields for ten years. He was then attracted to Otago by the Otago gold rush to the Dunstan, and brought with him a number of teams of horses and waggons. He later moved to Auckland and founded a horse-drawn bus service between Auckland and Remuera, based in the Victoria stables, Wellesley Street East, which he built.[6]
Politician
edit
As well as serving on the city council and as Mayor of Auckland, Mr. Crowther was also a member of the governing body of Auckland College and Grammar school, the University College Council, the city schools' committee, the Charitable Aid Board, and Sailors' Home. For some years he was a member of the Harbour Board, and was chairman for a term.[3][7]
Crowther changed his allegiance from the Liberal Party to Independent before the 1896 election.
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1893–1896 | 12th | City of Auckland | Liberal | ||
| 1896–1899 | 13th | City of Auckland | Independent | ||
| 1899–1900 | 14th | City of Auckland | Independent | ||
Death
editCrowther died on 15 March 1900[6] and was buried at Purewa Cemetery in the Auckland suburb of Meadowbank.[8]
Notes
edit- ^ The Cyclopedia Company, Limited, p. 124, Ex-Mayors.
- ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 102.
- ^ a b "Death of Mr Crowther, M.H.R." Poverty Bay Herald. Vol. XXVII, no. 8777. 16 March 1900. p. 2. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
- ^ "They Say". Observer. Vol. XX, no. 1108. National Library of New Zealand. Papers Past. 24 March 1900. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
- ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 148.
- ^ a b "Death". Auckland Star. 15 March 1900 – via Papers Past.
- ^ "The late Mr W Crowther: An Honest Politician and a Sterling Citizen". Observer. Vol. XX, no. 1108. 24 March 1900. p. 8. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
- ^ "Notable graves". Purewa Trust Board. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
References
edit- Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.
- The Cyclopedia Company, Limited. "The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Auckland Provincial District]". New Zealand Electronic Text Collection. Victoria University of Wellington. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
External links
edit- "Death". Auckland Star. 15 March 1900 – via Papers Past.
- "Obituary". "Press" in Papers Past. 16 March 1900.
- "Obituary". "Poverty Bay Herald" in Papers Past. 16 March 1900.
- "Mr Crowther (photo)". "New Zealand Mail" in Papers Past. 29 March 1900.
- "Mr Crowther (photo)". "Observer" in Papers Past. 24 March 1900.