William Crowther (New Zealand politician) explained

William Crowther
Birth Date: 1830
Birth Place:Slaithwaite, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
Death Place:Auckland, New Zealand
Order1:17th Mayor of Auckland City
Successor1:James Job Holland
Term Start1:1891
Term End1:1893
Order2:12th MP for City of Auckland
Predecessor2:John Shera
Successor2:Joseph Witheford
Term End2:1900
Party:New Zealand Liberal Party
Otherparty:Independent
Spouse:Georgina Stafford
Known For:Mayor of Auckland City
Occupation:Owner of livery stables; Horse-bus operator; politician

William Crowther (1834 – 15 March 1900) was a Mayor of Auckland and then Member of Parliament for Auckland, New Zealand.

Crowther was Mayor of Auckland from 1891 to 1893, after serving as a city councillor for sixteen years.

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.[1] The resulting by-election on 27 April 1900 was hotly contested,[2] and won by Joseph Witheford.

Businessman

William 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.[3]

Politician

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.[1] [4]

Crowther changed his allegiance from the Liberal Party to Independent before the 1896 election.

Death

Crowther died on 15 March 1900 and was buried at Purewa Cemetery in the Auckland suburb of Meadowbank.[5]

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Death of Mr Crowther, M.H.R. . 14 September 2019 . Poverty Bay Herald . XXVII . 8777 . 16 March 1900 . 2.
  2. News: Observer . They Say . 21 November 2020 . Papers Past . XX. 1108 . National Library of New Zealand . 24 March 1900.
  3. News: Death . . Papers Past . 15 March 1900 .
  4. News: The late Mr W Crowther: An Honest Politician and a Sterling Citizen . 14 September 2020 . Observer . XX . 1108 . 24 March 1900 . 8.
  5. Web site: Notable graves . Purewa Trust Board . 15 February 2021.