Sir Frederick Whitaker | |
|---|---|
 Frederick Whitaker,c. 1870s | |
| 5thPremier of New Zealand | |
| In office 30 October 1863 – 24 November 1864 21 April 1882 – 25 September 1883 | |
| Monarch | Victoria |
| Governor | George Grey Arthur Hamilton-Gordon William Jervois |
| Preceded by | Alfred Domett (1863) John Hall (1882) |
| Succeeded by | Frederick Weld (1864) Harry Atkinson (1883) |
| Constituency | Legislative Council |
| Member of theNew Zealand Parliament forParnell | |
| In office 1866–1867 | |
| Member of theNew Zealand Parliament forWaikato | |
| In office 1876–1879 | |
| 2ndSpeaker of the Legislative Council | |
| In office 1855–1856 | |
| Preceded by | William Swainson |
| Succeeded by | Thomas Bartley |
| 1stAttorney-General | |
| In office 7 May 1856 – 20 May 1856 | |
| In office 2 June 1856 – 12 July 1861 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1812-04-23)23 April 1812 Bampton, Oxfordshire, England |
| Died | 4 December 1891(1891-12-04) (aged 79) Auckland, New Zealand |
| Resting place | St Stephen's Cemetery,Parnell, New Zealand |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 8, including: Frederick Alexander Whitaker |
| Parent(s) | Frederick Whitaker Susanna Humfrey |
Sir Frederick WhitakerKCMG (23 April 1812 – 4 December 1891) was an English-born New Zealand politician who served twice as thepremier of New Zealand and six times asAttorney-General.
Whitaker was born at the DeaneryManor House,Bampton, Oxfordshire, England, on 23 April 1812, the son of Frederick Whitaker and Susanna Whitaker (née Humfrey). Frederick junior undertook a legal education and became a solicitor and attorney at the age of 27. A year later he sailed to Australia and then New Zealand.[1] He married Jane Augusta Griffith, stepdaughter ofAlexander Shepherd (Colonial Treasurer) atSt. Paul's Church in Auckland on 4 March 1843.[1]
Whitaker lived in Auckland and was appointed a County Court judge until this position was abolished in 1844, at which time he returned to work as a lawyer. He was appointed to theGeneral Legislative Council on 3 March 1845 until 22 December of that year.[2] He was then appointed to the Legislative Council ofNew Ulster Province, but that Council had not met when the newConstitution arrived.[3] He transferred to the new Legislative Council on 26 May 1853 and remained a member until his resignation on 19 December 1864. He was again appointed on 8 October 1879 and remained a member until his death 12 years later.[4] He also served as a major in the militia.
He was elected onto theAuckland Provincial Council on 19 October 1854 for the Suburbs of Auckland electorate, and he served until 25 September 1855.[5] He was appointed to the Auckland Executive Council from 14 March 1854 to 22 January 1855 and was the provincial law officer.[6]
Whitaker became the firstAttorney-General of New Zealand in theSewell Ministry led byHenry Sewell in 1856. He did not serve as Attorney-General in the subsequentFox Ministry that was in power for a fortnight, but was again appointed to this position in theStafford Ministry from 2 June 1856 onwards. He served as Attorney-General until the defeat of the Stafford Ministry on 12 July 1861 and went back to the law.[7] In October 1863 Whitaker was called upon to form a government to replace PremierDomett following his defeat at a vote of no-confidence.[8]
Whitaker's term as Premier lasted just over a year until November 1864. His term ended due to differences between himself and Governor Grey over the conduct of theNew Zealand Wars. Whitaker also resigned as a member of the Legislative Council. He served briefly as the member of Parliament forParnell from 1866 to 1867.
In October 1865, he was electedSuperintendent ofAuckland Province, which office he held until 1867. Then for nine years he stayed away from public office.
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1866–1867 | 4th | Parnell | Independent | ||
| 1876–1879 | 6th | Waikato | Independent | ||
In 1876 he became MP forWaikato and later Attorney-General again in Atkinson's government; the Atkinson Ministry lasted until October 1877. Whitaker lost his seat in the House in 1879, when he was defeated forEden. However, when Premier Hall wanted him to serve as Attorney-General again, he was appointed once more to the Legislative Council in 1879. When Hall resigned in April 1882, Whitaker became Premier for the second time, serving until September 1883.
Whitaker was appointed aKnight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1884 and served again as Attorney-General, and as leader of the Legislative Council from 1887 to 1890. By then his health was failing, and he died in Auckland on 4 December 1891. He was buried at St Stephen's Cemetery in Parnell.[9]
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Premier of New Zealand 1863–1864 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Speaker of the New Zealand Legislative Council 1855–1856 | Succeeded by |
| New office | Attorney-General 1856 1856–1861 1863–1864 1876–1877 1882–1883 1887–1891 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by William Fox | Succeeded by William Fox | |
| Preceded by | Succeeded by Henry Sewell | |
| Preceded by | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by Robert Stout | Succeeded by Henry Sewell | |
| Preceded by | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Superintendent of Auckland Province 1865–1867 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Postmaster-General and Commissioner of Telegraphs 1876 | Succeeded by |
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Parnell 1866–1867 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Waikato 1876–1879 | Succeeded by |
