Charles Parker (4 March 1809 – 29 June 1898) was a New Zealand politician and a carpenter.

Early life

Parker was born at Newent, Gloucestershire, England, on 4 March 1809. His parents were Sarah Potter (17 November 1783 – 16 July 1876), a weaver, and her husband, Edmund Parker (2 November 1767 – 7 November 1853), a builder. Charles was raised in his mother's home town of

Cheltenham Cheltenham (), also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds in the county of Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort, following the discovery of mineral s ...

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

. He trained as carpenter and builder. On 6 April 1837, he married his first cousin Hannah Phipps (22 June 1815 – 14 December 1889) in

, Gloucestershire.

Emigration to New Zealand

In 1849 Charles, Hannah and six children sailed on the ''Kelso'' to Nelson, New Zealand. The family settled in

Motueka Motueka is a town in the South Island of New Zealand, close to the mouth of the Motueka River on the western shore of Tasman Bay / Te Tai-o-Aorere. It is the second largest in the Tasman Region, with a population of as of The surrounding dis ...

, where Charles was soon successful in business, becoming a property developer as well as a builder. He paid for other members of the family to immigrate; Sarah Parker, his 73-year-old mother arrived in 1856, and by 1859 five of his brothers and sisters had emigrated with their families. Parker had become involved in the political life of the colony. He was a member of the Volunteer Reserves and a justice of the peace. He was active in the Anglican Church until the mid-1860s, when his infant son Henry died before he was baptised, and the Anglican priest refused to bury him in consecrated ground. The local Methodist minister agreed to do so and the family switched churches.

Political career

In 1853 Parker was elected to the Nelson Provincial Council as member for Motueka and Massacre Bay, a seat which he held until 1857. He then represented Motueka (1857–69 and 1873–76). He was elected a member of the

2nd New Zealand Parliament The 2nd New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament, Parliament of New Zealand. It opened on 15 April 1856, following New Zealand's 1855 New Zealand general election, 1855 election. It was dissolved on 5 November 1860 in prep ...

as member for Motueka and Massacre Bay (1855–56), resigning in 1856, and later re-elected as member for the renamed

for the

4th Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

and

5th Fifth is the ordinal form of the number five. Fifth or The Fifth may refer to: * Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, as in the expression "pleading the Fifth" * Fifth column, a political term * Fifth disease, a contagious rash tha ...

parliaments (1866–75). Parker was a populist opposed to the class system and supported

John Perry Robinson John Perry Robinson (1810/1811? – 28 January 1865) was the second Superintendent of the Nelson Province in New Zealand. His election came as a surprise, but he proved so popular that he won two subsequent elections with comfortable majorities. ...

's programme of liberalising land purchase to prevent the establishment of large landholdings or latifundia. Parker's local political rival was

David Monro Sir David Monro (27 March 1813 – 15 February 1877) was a New Zealand politician. He served as Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 1861 to 1870. Early life Monro was born in Edinburgh. His father was Alexander Monro, ...

, who championed the more conservative 'Supper Party' and large run holders. In a controversial 1871 election, a recount found Parker and Munro had split the vote equally; the returning officer's casting vote returned Monro as MP, but this was overturned following a petition, and Parker was declared elected.

Family

Parker retired to pursue business interests; by 1882 he owned of land in Waimea County, valued at £550. He died on 29 June 1898 in Motueka as a man who had become moderately wealthy. A newspaper obituary describes him as having "retained his mental faculties till the last". Charles and Hannah had 13 children: Charles (1838–1903), Frederick (1839–1905, married Anne Jane Sutcliffe), Elizabeth (1840–1912, married Thomas Boyes), Henry (1842–1866), Ellen (1844–1845), Edward (1845–1845), Walter (1846–1911), Thirza Ann (1849–1929, married Robert William Skilton), Edmund (1851–1923, married Annie Morris), Emily (1853–1923), Jessie (1855–1904), Arthur William (1857–1946, married Eliza Jane Wilson), and Horace (1859–1867). He was buried at Motueka cemetery on 2 July 1898. His wife Hannah died 14 December 1889, and is also buried at Motueka cemetery. Their gravestone reads:

Our father and mother
Charles PARKER died 29 June 1898 aged 90 years
Hannah PARKER died 14 December 1889 aged 75 years
also our sister Jessie PARKER died 6 December 1904 aged 49 years.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Parker, Charles 1809 births 1898 deaths English emigrants to New Zealand People from Newent People from Motueka Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Members of the Nelson Provincial Council New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates New Zealand justices of the peace