Charles Edward Button (23 August 1838 – 27 December 1920) was a solicitor, Supreme Court judge, Mayor of

Hokitika Hokitika is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island, south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. It is the seat and largest town in the Westland District. The town's estimated population is as of . ...

and later

Birkenhead Birkenhead (; cy, Penbedw) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England; historically, it was part of Cheshire until 1974. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the south bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liver ...

, and an independent conservative Member of Parliament in New Zealand. Born in Tasmania, he came to New Zealand with his wife in 1863. He first lived in Invercargill, then in Westland, and after a brief period in Christchurch, he settled in Auckland. He was an MP for two periods, and when he was first elected to Parliament, he beat his colleague, friend, political opponent, and later Premier

Richard Seddon Richard John Seddon (22 June 1845 – 10 June 1906) was a New Zealand politician who served as the List of prime ministers of New Zealand, 15th Prime Minister of New Zealand, premier (prime minister) of New Zealand from 1893 until his death. ...

; this was the only election defeat ever suffered by Seddon.

Early life

Button was born in

Launceston, Tasmania Launceston () or () is a city in the north of Tasmania, Australia, at the confluence of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River (kanamaluka). As of 2021, Launceston has a population of 87,645. Material was copied ...

, in 1838, the seventh son of Thomas Button. His father was a member of the first municipal council in Launceston, and his uncle William Stammers Button was the first

Mayor of Launceston This is a list of the mayors of the City of Launceston, Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in Australia ...

. He received his education at

Hobart High School Hobart High School is a coeducational secondary school with academy status, situated in the village of Loddon, near Norwich in Norfolk, England. It typically has around 850 pupils. The school previously had specialist science college status ...

and was then trained as a solicitor at

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals *Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking *Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil W ...

, Dawes and Miller in Launceston. He married Louisa Cowell, a daughter of Henry Cowell of Launceston, in 1862.

Legal practice in New Zealand

After running his own practice for a short time, Button emigrated to

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

, New Zealand, in 1863, where he continued to work in law. In 1865, he moved to

, and became a specialist in mining law. He practised with Walter Reid, who later became New Zealand's first Solicitor-General. He moved to

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

in 1880 and had his office in

Gloucester Street Gloucester Street is a major urban street in central Christchurch in the South Island of New Zealand. It runs for approximately from a junction with Rolleston Avenue, directly opposite Christ's College at its western end to the suburbs of Li ...

. Early in 1881, he moved into the offices of

Henry Wynn-Williams William Henry Wynn-Williams (1828 – 27 October 1913) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament from Canterbury, New Zealand. He was a prominent lawyer in Christchurch. Early life Wynn-Williams was born in August 1828 in Llangar, Conwy County Bor ...

in Hereford Street. He left Christchurch late in 1883 and moved to

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

. In Auckland, he joined the firm of

Whitaker Whitaker (also Whittaker) is a surname of English and Scottish origin, meaning the white acre, also spelled "Whittaker" and " Whitacre." Notable people with the surname include: People with the name * The Whitaker iron family - a family important ...

and

Russell Russell may refer to: People * Russell (given name) * Russell (surname) * Lady Russell (disambiguation) * Lord Russell (disambiguation) Places Australia *Russell, Australian Capital Territory *Russell Island, Queensland (disambiguation) **Ru ...

. He later had his own practice under the banner of Buddle, Button and Co. On 12 March 1907, Button became a judge at the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. This was a temporary replacement for another judge who was overseas, and he retired after one or two years of service.

Political career

Button first stood for

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

in the 1868 supplementary election, which was held in the newly established

Westland South Westland South was a parliamentary electorate on the West Coast of New Zealand from 1868 to 1870. History The Westland Representation Act 1867 introduced changes to the Waimea and Westland electorates. Their areas were reassigned and four elec ...

electorate. On nomination day (30 March)

Edmund Barff Edmund Barff (5 March 1833 – 29 June 1882) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament from the West Coast, New Zealand. Barff was born in the English county of Kent on 5 March 1833, probably at Lee (now part of Greater London), where he was ba ...

and Button were nominated, and after a show of hands in favour of Button (41 votes to 5), a poll was demanded. Barff was subsequently elected the following week. Button was elected in the Hokitika electorate for the

Westland County Westland County, also known as County of Westland, was a local government area on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It existed from 1868 to 1873, and then from 1876 until 1989. In its first incarnation, it constituted the government f ...

for five months in 1869, and the Totara electorate in 1870–1872. He was chosen as the fourth

Mayor of Hokitika The Mayor of Hokitika officiated over the borough of Hokitika in New Zealand. The office was created in 1866 when Hokitika became a municipality and a borough two years later, and ceased with the 1989 local government reforms, when Hokitika Boroug ...

in 1868–1869. He contested the two-member Hokitika electorate in

1876 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. * February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs i ...

with Barff,

, Robert Reid and

Conrad Hoos Conrad may refer to: People * Conrad (name) Places United States * Conrad, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Conrad, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Conrad, Iowa, a city * Conrad, Montana, a city * Conrad Glacier, Washingto ...

. Button had known Seddon professionally, as they were both lawyers and often argued cases as opponents. Although of differing political views, Button and Seddon became lifelong friends. Barff and Button were returned, with Reid coming third and Seddon fourth. Thus Button (and Barff) caused Seddon's only ever defeat at an election; Seddon is to date New Zealand's longest-serving

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

. When Hokitika electorate constituents passed a resolution in 1878 that thanked Button but expressed regret that he did not support Sir

George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Go ...

, Button handed in his resignation. The resulting

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

was won by

Seymour Thorne George Seymour Thorne George (10 October 1851 – 2 July 1922) was a New Zealand politician. The premier, Sir George Grey, was his wife's half-uncle and adoptive father, and that relationship resulted in Thorne George representing the South Island elec ...

. When

Borough Council was formed in 1888, Button was elected unopposed as the borough's first mayor on 9 May. He remained the borough's mayor for 12 years until he resigned in January 1901; he was succeeded by

Joseph Witheford Joseph Howard Witheford (1848 – 30 October 1931) was a Liberal Party Member of Parliament in Auckland, New Zealand. Biography He was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England, in 1848. Witheford was elected to the City of Auckland elec ...

. He was elected to the multi-member

City of Auckland Auckland City was a territorial authority with city status covering the central isthmus of the urban area of Auckland, New Zealand. It was governed by the Auckland City Council from 1989 to 2010, and as a territory within the wider Auckland R ...

electorate in

1893 Events January–March * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * Mark Twain started writing Puddn'head Wilson. * January 6 – Th ...

, but was defeated in

1896 Events January–March * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that Wil ...

Community involvement

Button was interested in science, especially in chemistry and electricity. For 40 years from 1863, he gave lectures to the public and caused excitement in the early years when he demonstrated electric light. He was active in the

Presbyterian church Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

and was an elder in Hokitika and at St Paul's in Christchurch. He led the Hokitika choir under

Bishop Harper Henry John Chitty Harper (28 December 1893) was an Anglican bishop in the second half of the 19th century. Life Harper was baptised on 9 January 1804, educated at The Queen's College, Oxford and ordained in 1832. He was Chaplain of Eton College ...

. In Auckland, he supported the local

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

Death

Button died on 27 December 1920; his last residence was in Prospect Terrace in

Mount Eden Mount Eden is a suburb in Auckland, New Zealand whose name honours George Eden, 1st Earl of Auckland. It is south of the Central Business District (CBD). Mt Eden Road winds its way around the side of Mount Eden Domain and continues to weave ba ...

. He is buried at Waikaraka Cemetery in

Onehunga Onehunga is a suburb of Auckland in New Zealand and the location of the Port of Onehunga, the city's small port on the Manukau Harbour. It is south of the Auckland CBD, city centre, close to the volcano, volcanic cone of Maungakiekie / One Tree ...

. His wife had died in 1910. He was survived by a daughter and a son.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Button, Charles 1838 births 1920 deaths Mayors of Hokitika Mayors of places in the Auckland Region Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives High Court of New Zealand judges 19th-century New Zealand lawyers Members of the Westland County Council Burials at Waikaraka Cemetery New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates Unsuccessful candidates in the 1896 New Zealand general election 19th-century New Zealand politicians 20th-century New Zealand judges