| George Read | |
| Birth Name: | George Edward Read |
| Birth Date: | 1814/1815 |
| Birth Place: | Mendlesham, Suffolk, England |
| Death Place: | Gisborne, New Zealand |
| Spouse: | Noko Pahipa |
George Edward Read (1814/1815 – 23 February 1878) was a British mariner, trader, landowner and politician in Poverty Bay, New Zealand. Known as Captain Read, he settled in Gisborne after a career in whaling, setting up a store in what was then a small town.
Read was born in Mendlesham, Suffolk, England, in either 1814 or 1815. Little is known of his early life. He came to the Pacific in the 1830s on a whaling ship, and worked on trading ships.
Read first arrived in the settlement of Tūranga in 1844.[1] By 1852, he owned a schooner, and was a prominent trader and landowner.
Following the general election held on 6 January 1876, he represented the East Coast electorate until 22 August, when he was unseated on a petition.[2]
Read died at his home in Gisborne on 23 February 1878.[3]
. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 . Guy Scholefield . 3rd . First ed. published 1913 . 1950 . Govt. Printer . Wellington . 134.