William Whitehouse Collins (4 September 1853 – 12 April 1923) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for Christchurch in the South Island.
William Whitehouse Collins | |
|---|---|
 William Whitehouse Collins | |
| Member of Parliament for City of Christchurch | |
| In office 1893–1896 | |
| Preceded by | Richard Molesworth Taylor |
| Succeeded by | Harry Ell |
| In office 1899–1902 | |
| Preceded by | Harry Ell |
| Succeeded by | Harry Ell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 September 1853 Harborne |
| Died | 12 April 1923 (aged 69) Sydney |
| Political party | Liberal Party |
| Spouse(s) | Alice Annie Collins (née Skinner, m. 1886) |
Early life
editCollins was born on 4 September 1853 in Harborne, Staffordshire, England and came to New Zealand in 1890. He married Alice Annie Skinner, a daughter of Ehenezer Skinner of Sydney, in 1886.[1][2]
Member of Parliament
edit| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1893–1896 | 12th | Christchurch | Liberal | ||
| 1899–1902 | 14th | Christchurch | Liberal | ||
Collins represented the City of Christchurch electorate in the House of Representatives from 1893 to 1896 and again between 1899 and 1902.[3] He also stood in the 1896 election, but was narrowly defeated.[4]
He was a rationalist (free-thought) lecturer and was involved with the English Secularists and obtained a diploma from the National Secular Society.[5]
The Canterbury Freethought Association was established in Christchurch in 1881 and ran until 1917. Collins left for Sydney in 1918 and died there on 12 April 1923.[2][6]
References
edit- ^ "Mr. William Whitehouse Collins". Christchurch: The Cyclopedia Company Limited. 1903. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
- ^ a b Stenhouse, John. "Collins, William Whitehouse". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
- ^ Wilson, James Oakley (1985). The New Zealand Parliamentary Record: 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: Government Printer. p. 190.
- ^ "Mr. William Whitehouse Collins". Christchurch: The Cyclopedia Company Limited. 1903. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
- ^ Hamer, David (1988). The New Zealand Liberals: the years of power, 1891–1912. Auckland: Auckland University Press. pp. 50, 362. ISBN 1-86940-014-3.
- ^ James, R. H. (n.d.), The Canterbury Freethought Association 1881–1917 [unpublished manuscript], n.p.: n.p.
Further reading
editWorks by Collins
edit- Collins, William Whitehouse (c. 1910), Rationalist burial service, Christchurch, [N.Z.]: N.Z. Rationalist Association
- Collins, William Whitehouse (1911), Ferrer and his enemies, Christchurch, [N.Z.]: N.Z. Rationalist Association
- Collins, William Whitehouse (1914), The bible in schools question, Christchurch, [N.Z.]: Printed by the Lyttelton Times Co.
Works about Collins
edit- Hamer, David (1988), The New Zealand Liberals: the years of power, 1891–1912, Auckland, N.Z.]: Auckland University Press, ISBN 1-86940-014-3
- James, R. H. (n.d.), The Canterbury Freethought Association 1881–1917 [unpublished manuscript], n.p.: n.p.
- This document is held within the Canterbury Museum Documentary Research Centre, Christchurch.
- Lineham, Peter J. (1985), "Freethinkers in nineteenth-century New Zealand", New Zealand Journal of History, 19 (1): 61–81