George Waterhouse | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 7thPremier of New Zealand | |
| In office 11 October 1872 – 3 March 1873 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Governor | George Grey George Bowen |
| Preceded by | Edward Stafford |
| Succeeded by | William Fox |
| Speaker of the New Zealand Legislative Council | |
| In office 22 April 1887 – 21 September 1887 | |
| Preceded by | William Fitzherbert |
| Succeeded by | William Fitzherbert |
| Member of the Legislative Council of New Zealand | |
| In office 13 May 1870 – 30 June 1890 | |
| Premier of South Australia | |
| In office 8 October 1861 – 3 July 1863 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Governor | Sir Richard MacDonnell Sir Dominick Daly |
| Preceded by | Thomas Reynolds |
| Succeeded by | Francis Dutton |
| Member of the Parliament of South Australia | |
| In office 3 April 1860 – 7 December 1864 | |
| Constituency | State-at-large |
| In office 26 February 1857 – 8 September 1857 | |
| Preceded by | seat established |
| Succeeded by | Lavington Glyde |
| Constituency | East Torrens |
| In office 3 July 1851 – 3 June 1854 | |
| Constituency | East Torrens |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1824-04-06)6 April 1824 |
| Died | 6 August 1906(1906-08-06) (aged 82) |
| Party | None |
| Spouse | Lydia Giles |
| Children | 2(adopted) |
| Parent(s) | John Waterhouse Jane Beadnell Skipsey |
| Relatives | Jabez Waterhouse (brother) Joseph Waterhouse (brother) John Waterhouse (nephew) Walter Waterhouse (great nephew) |
| Signature |  |
George Marsden Waterhouse (6 April 1824 – 6 August 1906) was aPremier of South Australia from 8 October 1861 until 3 July 1863 and the seventhpremier of New Zealand from 11 October 1872 to 3 March 1873.
George Waterhouse's father, Rev John Waterhouse, was general superintendent of the Wesleyan Missions in Australia andPolynesia.[1]
Waterhouse was aged 15 when his family migrated in 1839, initially toHobart. Four years later he moved toAdelaide and set up business as amerchant.[2]
He was first elected to parliament in theelectoral district of East Torrens in the colony of South Australia in August 1851. He resigned 3 years later, was elected again in 1857 but resigned again soon after.
He supported economic development of the colony throughfree trade and was elected to theSouth Australian Legislative Council again in 1860, where he advocated uniform tariffs for Australia. He was chief secretary in theFirst Reynolds Ministry from May 1860 to February 1861. After Reynolds ended his term as Premier in 1861, Waterhouse formed a government with the intention of finalising a motion in relation to JusticeBenjamin Boothby, a judge in theSupreme Court of South Australia who was causing difficulties by objecting to the legitimacy of the Appeals Court under the new Constitution. Waterhouse resigned his ministry after this task was completed, but was persuaded to reform another government, which lasted until July 1863 before collapsing in the face of accusations of financial irregularities and alleged misappropriation of funds. In 1864 he retired from South Australian politics[3] and spent some time in England.[1]
Waterhouse migrated to New Zealand in 1869 and on 13 May 1870 was appointed to theNew Zealand Legislative Council.[4] He was in theFox Ministry from 30 October to 20 November 1871, and in October 1872 became premier without portfolio.[5] He resigned in March 1873 finding that as a member of the upper house it was impossible to keep control of his ministry. He remained a Legislative Council member until his resignation on 30 June 1890.[4]
Waterhouse fell into ill-health and retired to England in 1889, and died atTorquay, Devon on 6 August 1906.
Waterhouse had his career both in Australia and New Zealand, but it was much hampered by the poor state of his health. He has the distinction of having been the premier of two colonies. Despite this, Waterhouse never received a knighthood or a peerage for his services in governing two colonies.
He married Lydia Giles (1827 – 25 January 1910),[6] a daughter ofWilliam Giles, on 5 July 1848.[2] Fanny, one of their two adopted daughters, marriedWilliam Fitzherbert in 1875.[1][7]
| Parliament of South Australia | ||
|---|---|---|
| New district | Member of Parliament forEast Torrens 1857 Served alongside:Charles Bonney | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Chief Secretary of South Australia 1860–1861 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Premier of South Australia 1861–1863 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chief Secretary of South Australia 1861–1863 | Succeeded by |
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
| Appointed | Member of theNew Zealand Legislative Council 1870–1890 Served alongside:Multiple Members | Appointed |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Premier of New Zealand 1872–1873 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Speaker of the New Zealand Legislative Council 1887 | Succeeded by |
