Francis "Frank" Lawry (1839 – 19 January 1921) was a conservative then

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 ...

Member of Parliament in New Zealand.

Biography

Early life

Lawry was born in

Bleadon Bleadon is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It is about south of Weston-super-Mare and, according to the 2011 census, has a population of 1,079. History Bleadon was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as ''Bledone'', meaning 'c ...

, Somerset, England, in 1839, the son of William Lawry, a farmer and Methodist minister. He was educated at the British school at

Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmixon ...

, and then entered a career in farming. Lawry emigrated to New Zealand in 1863 aboard the ship ''Ulcoates''. At

Epsom Epsom is the principal town of the Borough of Epsom and Ewell in Surrey, England, about south of central London. The town is first recorded as ''Ebesham'' in the 10th century and its name probably derives from that of a Saxon landowner. The ...

on 21 October 1868 he married Sarah Davies. The couple went on to have one daughter. Lawry entered public life as a member of the North Auckland Cattle Boards and was later president of the Auckland Agricultural and Pastoral Association. He was the chairman of the Epsom Road Board for thirteen consecutive years and spent two years as a member of the Board of Education. He was also a

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

Political career

In the 1881 general election he contested the electorate. He was beaten by

Ebenezer Hamlin Ebenezer Hamlin (1844 – 4 June 1900) was a member of parliament in New Zealand, and an independent conservative. Early life and family Hamlin was born in Orua on the Manukau Harbour to the Rev James Hamlin, a missionary who had arrived in Ne ...

, by the mere majority of 40 votes. In

1884 Events January–March * January 4 – The Fabian Society is founded in London. * January 5 – Gilbert and Sullivan's ''Princess Ida'' premières at the Savoy Theatre, London. * January 18 – Dr. William Price atte ...

he stood against

Maurice O'Rorke Sir George Maurice O’Rorke (2 May 1830 – 25 August 1916) was a New Zealand politician, representing (as George O’Rorke) the Auckland seat of Onehunga, and later Manukau, and was Speaker of the House of Representatives. He was a committed ...

in , but was again defeated by 127 votes. He won the

Franklin North Franklin North was a parliamentary electorate in the southern part of the Auckland Region of New Zealand from 1881 to 1890. Population centres The previous electoral redistribution was undertaken in 1875 for the 1875–1876 election. In the six ...

electorate in

1887 Events January–March * January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher. * January 20 ** The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Har ...

, and then the Parnell electorate in

1890 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Kingdom of Italy establishes Eritrea as its colony, in the Horn of Africa. ** In Michigan, the wooden steamer ''Mackinaw'' burns in a fire on the Black River. * January 2 ** The steamship ...

which he represented until he retired in 1911. In the 1890 election, he was listed as a supporter of the conservative Atkinson Ministry, led by

Harry Atkinson Sir Harry Albert Atkinson (1 November 1831 – 28 June 1892) served as the tenth premier of New Zealand on four separate occasions in the late 19th century, and was Colonial Treasurer for a total of ten years. He was responsible for guiding t ...

. Following the election, he did change his allegiance to the Liberal Party and became Senior Whip for the

Liberal Government Liberal government may refer to: Australia In Australian politics, a Liberal government may refer to the following governments administered by the Liberal Party of Australia: * Menzies Government (1949–66), several Australian ministries under S ...

from 1891 until his resignation from the role on 29 October 1894. Throughout his long Parliamentary career he was a member of many committees, chiefly the Agricultural and Pastoral Committee, which for several years he was its chairman.

Death

Lawry died in

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 1921, and was buried at St Matthias' Church, Panmure.

Notes

References

* 1839 births 1921 deaths People from North Somerset (district) English emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand Liberal Party MPs Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Unsuccessful candidates in the 1884 New Zealand general election New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates New Zealand Freemasons 19th-century New Zealand politicians {{NewZealand-Liberal-politician-stub