George Matthew Snelson (22 November 1837 – 31 October 1901) was the first

Mayor of Palmerston North The Mayor of Palmerston North is the head of the municipal government of Palmerston North, New Zealand, and presides over the Palmerston North City Council. The current mayor is Grant Smith, who became mayor in a February 2015 by-election. This ...

and is considered

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

's founding father. He was an ironmonger, a storekeeper and a community leader.

Early life

Snelson was born in

Ashby-de-la-Zouch Ashby-de-la-Zouch, sometimes spelt Ashby de la Zouch () and shortened locally to Ashby, is a market town and civil parish in the North West Leicestershire district of Leicestershire, England. The town is near to the Derbyshire and Staffordshire ...

, Leicestershire, England, on 22 November 1837. His parents were James Snelson (coach manufacturer) and Mary (née Halford). He left school when he was 15 to learn the trade of ironmonger and hardware merchant in Melton Mowbray. At age 19, he moved to

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

for new employment. He came to New Zealand on 21 February 1863 aboard the ''Earl of Windsor'', arriving 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 married Louisa Matilda (née Buck, b. 1844 in

) on 6 July 1865. For a time, he owned the Cluny Park homestead on Rangitikei Line.

Political activity

Mayor of Palmerston North

Snelson was elected mayor seven times. He and his wife are regarded as the father and the mother of Palmerston North. He was the mayor of Palmerston North's first council, elected unopposed on 9 August 1877. The first council had nine members. He served until 1879. He was again elected in 1883–1884, and then 1889–1892. He died during his seventh term in office in 1901. On 8 November 1901, the borough councillors elected a new mayor. Two councillors contested the mayoralty, and

William Thomas Wood William Thomas Wood (10 June 1854 – 10 June 1943) was a Liberal Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand. Early life and family Born in Hobart, Tasmania, in June 1854, Wood was the son of Robert Wood and Charlotte Wood (née Watford). After ...

beat Fred Pirani 6 to 4. Councillor Pirani resigned from his seat afterwards on the grounds that he had been misled.

Parliamentary contender

Snelson stood for Parliament in

1879 Events January–March * January 1 – The Specie Resumption Act takes effect. The United States Note is valued the same as gold, for the first time since the American Civil War. * January 11 – The Anglo-Zulu War begins. * Janu ...

and

1893 Events January–March * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * Mark Twain started writing Puddn'head Wilson. * January 6 – Th ...

, but was unsuccessful on both occasions.

Death

Snelson died at his home in Palmerston North on 31 October 1901, and was buried in

Terrace End Cemetery Terrace End Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in Palmerston North, New Zealand. Almost 10,000 people have been buried in the cemetery since Rangitāne gifted the land to the fledgling Palmerston North settlement in 1875. Plots are now closed, but ...

. He was survived by his wife, who died on 15 December 1919 during a visit to

Whanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...

. Snelson Street in Palmerston North is named after the Snelsons.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Snelson, George Matthew Mayors of Palmerston North 1837 births 1901 deaths People from Ashby-de-la-Zouch English emigrants to New Zealand Burials at Terrace End Cemetery Unsuccessful candidates in the 1893 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1879 New Zealand general election 19th-century New Zealand politicians