Ernest Page Lee (27 August 1862
– 19 February 1932) was a New Zealand lawyer and politician of the
Reform Party.
Early life
Born in 1862 in
Teignmouth
Teignmouth ( ) is a seaside town, fishing port and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is situated on the north bank of the estuary mouth of the River Teign, about 12 miles south of Exeter. The town had a population of 14,749 at the ...
, England, he received his education at
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 ...
and
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 ...
. Aged 18, he started learning the legal trade in a firm of solicitors in the
West of England
West of England is a combined authority area in South West England. It is made up of the Bristol, South Gloucestershire, and Bath and North East Somerset unitary authorities. The combined authority is led by the Mayor of the West of England Dan N ...
. He was submitted to the
Supreme Court of Judicature in 1885. A year later, he emigrated to New Zealand.
He settled in
Oamaru
Oamaru (; mi, Te Oha-a-Maru) is the largest town in North Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, it is the main town in the Waitaki District. It is south of Timaru and north of Dunedin on the Pacific coast; State Highway 1 and the railway ...
, and was at first a clerk in a legal firm owned by
Thomas William Hislop
Thomas William Hislop (8 April 1850 – 2 October 1925) was the Mayor of Wellington from 1905 to 1908, and had represented two South Island electorates in the New Zealand Parliament.
Early life
He was born in Kirknewton, West Lothian in 1850. ...
and Arthur Gethin Creagh. He founded the firm of Lee, Grave and Grave.
In 1895 married Miss de Lambert. His sister, Leah Lee, was married to the French poet
Jules Laforgue
Jules Laforgue (; 16 August 1860 – 20 August 1887) was a Franco-Uruguayan poet, often referred to as a Symbolist poet. Critics and commentators have also pointed to Impressionism as a direct influence and his poetry has been called "part-symbo ...
.
Political career
Lee was elected onto the Oamaru Borough council. In the , he defeated the incumbent in the
Oamaru electorate,
Thomas Young Duncan
Thomas Young Duncan (1836 – 18 August 1914), sometimes referred to as "Tam Duncan", was a New Zealand politician of the Liberal Party.
Early life
Born at Plumbridge, County Tyrone, Ireland, in 1836, Duncan was educated at Castledamph Nationa ...
.
He represented the electorate until 1922, when he was defeated in the
1922 election. The 1922 Oamaru election result was invalidated due to irregularities, but Lee lost the subsequent
1923 by-election again to
John MacPherson of the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
. He won the electorate from MacPherson in
1925
Events January
* January 1
** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria.
* January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Italia ...
, but again lost it to MacPherson in
1928
Events January
* January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA.
* January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...
.
He was the
Minister of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...
(3 April 1920 – 13 January 1923),
Minister of External Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
(17 May 1920 – 13 January 1923) and
Minister of Industries and Commerce
The Minister of Industries and Commerce in New Zealand is a former cabinet position (existing from 1894 to 1972) appointed by the Prime Minister to be in charge of matters of industrial and commercial growth and trade. In 1972 it was replaced w ...
(22 June 1920 – 13 January 1923) in the
Reform Government.
Outside politics
Lee founded the North Otago Jockey Club. He was an accomplished mountaineer and ascended many of the high peaks of the
Southern Alps
The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Southern ...
.
He was on
Lake Wakatipu
Lake Wakatipu ( mi, Whakatipu Waimāori) is an inland lake (finger lake) in the South Island of New Zealand. It is in the southwest corner of the Otago region, near its boundary with Southland. ''Lake Wakatipu'' comes from the original Māori nam ...
when he had a seizure. He died three weeks later on 19 February 1932 at
Queenstown, and was survived by his wife.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee, Ernest
1862 births
1932 deaths
English emigrants to New Zealand
Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand
Reform Party (New Zealand) MPs
New Zealand foreign ministers
19th-century New Zealand lawyers
People from Teignmouth
People from Oamaru
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1922 New Zealand general election
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1928 New Zealand general election
Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates
20th-century New Zealand lawyers
Justice ministers of New Zealand