Frederick Seymour Potter (3 November 1857 – 29 March 1941) was a British-born

public figure A public figure is a person who has achieved notoriety, prominence or fame within a society, whether through achievement, luck, action, or in some cases through no purposeful action of their own, In the context of defamation actions (libel and ...

, businessman and benefactor in

Auckland, New Zealand 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 ...

Migration to New Zealand

Born in London, Potter moved with his parents William and Eliza Potter to Auckland in the steamship Lord Ashley. The family arrived on 14 October 1858. Potter had siblings including his elder brother William.

Businessman and benefactor

Potter listed his occupation in Auckland electoral rolls as "Coachbuilder". In the 1920s he was the proprietor of coachbuilders "Gee and Potter" at 19 Rutland Street, Auckland, on the corner of Lorne and Rutland Streets. Potter married Ellen Barnes in 1909, who died in 1912 shortly after the birth and death of their son Frederick. In March 1916, Potter gifted much of the lands around his home in Balmoral to establish Potter Park which opened in 1921, however remained a resident of the house that remained on the site of the park. He married Mary Elizabeth Briddock in 1919. He died in

Auckland Hospital Auckland City Hospital is a public hospital located in Grafton, Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest hospital in New Zealand,Largest hospital in New Zealand...' - News-Medical.Net, Tuesday 29 June 2004 as well as one of the oldest medical fac ...

, in 1941. He was survived by his wife Mary, but no children are listed in his death notices or obituaries. Potter was 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 ...

, and established the Potter Masonic Trust.

Potters Parks

Potter gifted two Potters Parks to the City of Auckand. *Balmoral Potters Park located at the corner of Balmoral and Dominion Roads: Potters Park, Balmoral, gifted to the Mt Eden Borough Council in 1916, and opened as a park in 1921. *Takapuna Potters Park located at the corner of Anzac Street and Lake Road.

Death

Potter died on 29 March 1941 and his funeral was on 31 March at St Matthias Anglican Church, Panmure. He was buried in front of a large assembly of masons. His obituaries describe him as a "generous benefactor" to the city of Auckland.

References

External links

Ship register with Potter family listed

List in Otago Witness
* * * 1857 births 1941 deaths English emigrants to New Zealand 19th-century New Zealand artists 20th-century New Zealand businesspeople {{NewZealand-business-bio-stub