Sir Frederick Whitaker (23 April 1812 – 4 December 1891) was an English-born New Zealand politician who served twice as the

premier of New Zealand The prime minister of New Zealand ( mi, Te pirimia o Aotearoa) is the head of government of New Zealand. The prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, leader of the New Zealand Labour Party, took office on 26 October 2017. The prime minister (informa ...

and six times as

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

Early life

Whitaker was born at the Deanery

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, Bampton, Oxfordshire, England, on 23 April 1812, the son of Frederick Whitaker and Susanna Whitaker (née Humfrey). Frederick junior undertook a legal education and became a solicitor and attorney at the age of 27. A year later he sailed to Australia and then New Zealand. He married Jane Augusta Griffith, stepdaughter of Alexander Shepherd (

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) at St. Paul's Church in Auckland on 4 March 1843. Whitaker lived in Auckland and was appointed a County Court judge until this position was abolished in 1844, at which time he returned to work as a lawyer. He was appointed to the General Legislative Council on 3 March 1845 until 22 December of that year. He was then appointed to the Legislative Council of

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, but that Council had not met when the new

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arrived. He transferred to the new Legislative Council on 26 May 1853 and remained a member until his resignation on 19 December 1864. He was again appointed on 8 October 1879 and remained a member until his death 12 years later. He also served as a major in the militia. He was elected onto the

Auckland Provincial Council The Auckland Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. Area The province covered roughly half of the North Island of New Zealand. It was the largest of the six initial provinces, both ...

on 19 October 1854 for the Suburbs of Auckland electorate, and he served until 25 September 1855. He was appointed to the Auckland Executive Council from 14 March 1854 to 22 January 1855 and was the provincial law officer.

Attorney-General

Whitaker became the first

Attorney-General of New Zealand The Attorney-General is a political and legal officer in New Zealand. The Attorney-General is simultaneously a ministerial position and the chief law officer of the Crown, and has responsibility for supervising New Zealand law and advising th ...

in the

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led by

Henry Sewell Henry Sewell (7 September 1807 – 14 May 1879) was a prominent 19th-century New Zealand politician. He was a notable campaigner for New Zealand self-government, and is generally regarded as having been the country's first premier (an office ...

in 1856. He did not serve as Attorney-General in the subsequent

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that was in power for a fortnight, but was again appointed to this position in the Stafford Ministry from 2 June 1856 onwards. He served as Attorney-General until the defeat of the Stafford Ministry on 12 July 1861 and went back to the law. In October 1863 Whitaker was called upon to form a government to replace Premier Domett following his defeat at a vote of no-confidence.

First Premiership

Whitaker's term as Premier lasted just over a year until November 1864. His term ended due to differences between himself and Governor Grey over the conduct of the

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. Whitaker also resigned as a member of the Legislative Council. He served briefly as the member of Parliament for Parnell from 1866 to 1867. In October 1865 he was elected

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Auckland Province The Auckland Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. Area The province covered roughly half of the North Island of New Zealand. It was the largest of the six initial provinces, both ...

, which office he held until 1867. Then for nine years he stayed away from public office.

Second Premiership

In 1876 he became MP for

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and later Attorney-General again in Atkinson's government; the Atkinson Ministry lasted until October 1877. Whitaker lost his seat in the House in 1879, when he was defeated for Eden. However, when Premier Hall wanted him to serve as Attorney-General again, he was appointed once more to the Legislative Council in 1879. When Hall resigned in April 1882, Whitaker became Premier for the second time, serving until September 1883. Whitaker was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in 1884 and served again as Attorney-General, and as leader of the Legislative Council from 1887 to 1890. By then his health was failing, and he died in Auckland on 4 December 1891. He was buried at St Stephen's Cemetery in Parnell.

Notes

References

* * * , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitaker, Frederick Prime Ministers of New Zealand Colony of New Zealand judges 19th-century New Zealand judges Attorneys-General of New Zealand Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Speakers of the New Zealand Legislative Council Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council Members of the Auckland Provincial Council Superintendents of New Zealand provincial councils English solicitors 1812 births 1891 deaths People from Bampton, Oxfordshire New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Members of Auckland provincial executive councils English emigrants to New Zealand Unsuccessful candidates in the 1879 New Zealand general election New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates Burials at St Stephen's Cemetery, Parnell New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council (1841–1853) Attorneys-General of the Colony of New Zealand New Zealand politicians awarded knighthoods