Sir George Hunter (1859 – 20 August 1930) was a New Zealand politician of the Reform Party. Born in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, he took over his

father A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...

's large landholding in the

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region i ...

at age 18. He was a breeder of sheep and race horses, with his horse

Cynisca Cynisca or Kyniska ( el, Κυνίσκα; born c. 442 BC) was a wealthy Spartan princess. She is famous for being the first woman to win at the Olympic Games, competing in the sport of chariot racing. Cynisca first entered the Olympics in 396 BC, ...

winning the

Wellington Cup The Wellington Cup is a Group 3 Thoroughbred horse race in New Zealand held annually in late January at Trentham Racecourse in Trentham by the Wellington Racing Club. History Inaugurated in 1874, the Wellington Cup has been raced over various ...

three times in a row. Hunter was prominent in local politics, and represented the electorate in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

for a total of 22 years.

Farming and horse racing

Hunter was born in

in 1859. He was a son of George Hunter, and a grandson of George Hunter, the first

Mayor of Wellington The Mayor of Wellington is the head of the municipal government of the City of Wellington. The mayor presides over the Wellington City Council. The mayor is directly elected using the Single Transferable Vote method of proportional representat ...

. He worked on his father's farm in

Te Aro Te Aro (formerly also known as Te Aro Flat) is an inner-city suburb of Wellington, New Zealand. It comprises the southern part of the central business district including the majority of the city's entertainment district and covers the mostly fla ...

, which is now part of the Wellington central business district. The central part of the land is now covered by Upper Dixon Street, Percival Street, and Macdonald Crescent. His father had a further farm in Porangahau in the

Hawke's Bay Region Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region is ...

, which he took up in circa 1854. Through purchasing neighbouring land, he increased the size to . As his father lived in Wellington, the Porangahau farm was run by his father's brothers David and William. Hunter junior took over the running of the farm from his uncles in 1877, and owned it in partnership with his brother Paul. Hunter lived at Porangahau for most of his life. The brothers bred

Thoroughbred The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word ''thoroughbred'' is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed. Thoroughbreds are c ...

s at their farm, which have won many prominent races. One of his most famous horses was

, which won three consecutive

s. Like his father, Hunter was prominent in the administration of horse racing, and he submitted the Gaming Amendment Bill to Parliament. The brothers' partnership ended in 1908, with both taking half the land, George Hunter keeping the portion with the homestead.

Political career

Hunter was a member of Patangata County for over 30 years. He contested the electorate in the , but was beaten by William Cowper Smith. Smith had previously represented Waipawa from to 1887. In the , Hunter was defeated by Charles Hall 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 ...

. In the , Hunter defeated Hall, but lost to him in the subsequent election. Hunter was again defeated by Hall in the and s. Hall retired at the , and Hunter beat Albert Jull of the Liberal Party. Hunter continued to serve in the parliament until his death in 1930, beating Jull in and , John Joshua Langridge in , William Ashton Chambers in , and Ernest Albert Goodger (Independent United) and Douglas Barrington Kent ( United Party) in . Hunter's death on 20 August 1930 triggered the in the Waipawa electorate, which was won by Albert Jull.

Philanthropy

After World War I, Hunter gave land valued at

NZ£ The pound (symbol £, £NZ. for distinction) was the currency of New Zealand from 1840 until 1967, when it was replaced by the New Zealand dollar. Like the pound sterling, it was subdivided into 20 shillings (abbreviation s or /) each of 12 pen ...

30,000 for the settlement of returned soldiers.

Family and death

On 23 February 1922, Hunter married for the first time. In a small circle of family and close friends, he married Edith May Munro (née Ford). They had a daughter, Elizabeth Hunter, on 1 May 1923. Hunter was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

in the 1921 New Year Honours, the citation reading:

Has rendered valuable assistance in connection with the settlement of returned soldiers.

He fell ill during the first session of the 23rd Parliament in 1929, and was in indifferent health thereafter. He returned to Wellington for the second session in 1930 and died in Wellington on 20 August 1930, survived by his wife and one daughter. The funeral service was held at St Peter's Church in Wellington. The body was then taken by train to

Waipukurau Waipukurau is the largest town in the Central Hawke's Bay District on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on the banks of the Tukituki River, 7 kilometres south of Waipawa and 50 kilometres southwest of Hastings. ...

. His daughter died in 1999.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hunter, George 1859 births 1930 deaths New Zealand Knights Bachelor Reform Party (New Zealand) MPs New Zealand people of Scottish descent Unsuccessful candidates in the 1890 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1893 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1899 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1905 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1908 New Zealand general election Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates Politicians from Wellington City 19th-century New Zealand politicians Colony of New Zealand people