Edward Everett (1821, Hackney, England - 1904, Nelson, New Zealand) was the

Mayor of Nelson The mayor of Nelson is the head of the municipal government of Nelson, New Zealand, and presides over the Nelson City Council. The mayor is directly elected using a single transferable vote electoral system. The current mayor is Nick Smith, wh ...

in the 19th century for two periods.

Political career

As a Councillor, Everett was named as one of several Councillors who voted for the appointment of

Joseph Levien John Henry Levien (1810/1811 – 7 June 1876) Esquire, JP was a Freemason and Mayor of Nelson in New Zealand from 1875 to 1876. Professional career Levien was a merchant in both Australia and New Zealand. In 1837 he was in partnership in Sydne ...

in 1875. Everett was the third Mayor of Nelson, replacing Joseph Levien who died in office. Everett was elected unopposed on 16 June 1876. He was appointed as a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

on 6 July 1876. On 8 December 1876 Councillor Pickering, on behalf of all the Councillors expressed gratitude to the Mayor for his ability to interpret the Acts of Parliament that controlled the council's proceedings and conducting the finances of the corporation. Pickering then asked Everett to retain the position of Mayor for a further year. Everett responded by saying that he preferred the office to be a rolling one with the holder being changed annually. This reluctance must have been overcome as it was announced by 23 December that Everett had been elected unopposed for a further term. Everett represented Nelson at the conference of municipal delegates in Wellington in August 1877. Also in August, Everett sought financial assistance for the passengers rescued from the ship ''

Queen Bee A queen bee is typically an adult, mated female (gyne) that lives in a colony or hive of honey bees. With fully developed reproductive organs, the queen is usually the mother of most, if not all, of the bees in the beehive. Queens are developed ...

'' from other mayors. The City Council was required to have fresh elections on 13 September 1877. However, just prior to the election, on 1 September Everett announced his intention to retire from the Mayoralty. In its editorial,

The Nelson Evening Mail ''The Nelson Mail'' is a 4-day a week newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. News ...

expressed the hope that Everett could be induced to reconsider because he had undertaken his responsibilities in a thorough and earnest manner. The editorial noted that unlike many Councils he had maintained good relations between himself and Council. In the interim William Waters had taken over the mayoral responsibilities in Everett's place. Elections were held on 13 September 1877 with Everett being returned as a Councillor with the most votes (347), followed by Gray (337), Levien (331), Little (326), Hopper (299), Webb (274), Bethwaite (273), Tutty (261), Pickering (229), and Harley (207). Everett remained as a Councillor.''Editorial'', pg 2, Nelson Evening Mail, 27 September 1877 Everett was still a Councillor when Joseph Dodson resigned as mayor on 22 November 1881. Waters' fellow Councillors prevailed upon Everett to be Mayor for a further term. He agreed and was elected unopposed.

References

External links

Edward Everett in ''Ex-Mayors of Nelson''
''The Cyclopedia of New Zealand elson, Marlborough & Westland', The Cyclopaedia Company Limited, Christchurch (1906). {{DEFAULTSORT:Everett, Edward William Mayors of Nelson, New Zealand 1821 births 1904 deaths 19th-century New Zealand politicians