Edward William Seager (8 May 1828 – 14 July 1922) was a notable New Zealand policeman, gaoler and asylum superintendent.

Early life

Seager was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England, in 1828.

Career

Seager began his career as a porter in a London law firm. After the death of his mother, Seager began work as a policeman and assistant immigration officer under the tutelage of an old friend, James Fitzgerald. Because Seager lacked a solid education and social status he found difficulty in achieving promotions. In 1857, Seager was promoted to sub-inspector. Seager was known for his sense of humor and would routinely play practical jokes on prisoners under his watch. In 1862, Seager was promoted to the warden of Lyttelton Gaol, an asylum. In 1863 Seager convinced the

Canterbury Provincial Council The Canterbury Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. Its capital was Christchurch. History Canterbury was founded in December 1850 by the Canterbury Association of influential Eng ...

to open a new asylum, Canterbury Asylum, later known as

Sunnyside Hospital Sunnyside Hospital (1863–1999) was the first mental asylum to be built in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was initially known as Sunnyside Lunatic Asylum, and its first patients were 17 people who had previously been kept in the Lyttelton gaol ...

References

1828 births 1922 deaths New Zealand police officers English emigrants to New Zealand People from London New Zealand health professionals {{NewZealand-crime-bio-stub