Henry Hill (24 October 1849 – 15 July 1933), also known as Henry Thomas Hill, was a New Zealand school inspector,

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

alist, and Mayor of Napier.

Early career

Hill was born on 24 October 1849 in

Wollescote Wollescote is a residential area of Stourbridge, West Midlands, England. It is administered by the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. It falls within the ward of Cradley & Wollescote and the parliamentary constituency of Stourbridge. It is situated ...

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...

, England. He signed an employment contract with the

Canterbury Provincial Council The Canterbury Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. Its capital was Christchurch. History Canterbury was founded in December 1850 by the Canterbury Association of influential Eng ...

which stipulated that he had to be married, so he proposed to his friend Emily Knowles less than one month before emigrating. They were married on 23 July 1873 and on 3 August, they departed for Lyttelton on the ''Merope''. He was headmaster of

Christchurch East School Christchurch East School, initially referred to as East Christchurch School, is located in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand. History The Canterbury Provincial Council passed The Education Ordinance 1873 in June of that year to conso ...

from 1875 to 1878. He studied part-time and graduated in 1878 with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

. This allowed his to apply for the role of inspector of schools for the education board in the Hawke's Bay. The family moved to Napier by mid-1878. Hill is believed to have been the first European to climb to the crater of Mount Ruapehu.

Political career

Local politics

Hill moved to the East Coast of the North Island and practised as a qualified lawyer, there becoming involved in politics. Hill became a Napier City Councillor in 1915 serving until he was elected Mayor of Napier in

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...

when he beat the incumbent,

Vigor Brown John Vigor Brown (18 June 1854 – 2 September 1942), known as Vigor Brown, was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for Napier, in the North Island. He was Mayor of Napier for a total of 18 years. He was a well-known figure in his adopted city, ...

. Hill's time as mayor was marked by attempts to increase public works and improve the city's finances, for which he received high praise on this prudent, tactful approach. In 1919 Hill hoped this good record would ensure his re-election, but was voted out of office when Brown in turn defeated him by mere 16 votes. Hill also served as a member of the Hawke's Bay Hospital Board, the Hawke's Bay Electric Power Board, the Napier High School board of governors.

National politics

He stood as a candidate for the

Napier Napier may refer to: People * Napier (surname), including a list of people with that name * Napier baronets, five baronetcies and lists of the title holders Given name * Napier Shaw (1854–1945), British meteorologist * Napier Waller (1893–19 ...

electorate in Parliament several times. While generally polling well, he never won the seat. He stood as the

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candidate in

1911 A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole. Events January * January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...

, and as an "

Independent Progressive Independent progressive is a description in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, to denote a political progressivism, progressive, who lacks a formal affiliation to a party. In the United Kingdom In the late 19th century/early 20th century, the Prog ...

" candidate in

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...

. Hill also received support and endorsement from the Reform Party, in an effort to help oust the

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

incumbent

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hill, Henry 1849 births 1933 deaths New Zealand educators New Zealand scientists Educators from Christchurch New Zealand people of Scottish descent Mayors of Napier, New Zealand New Zealand Labour Party politicians Unsuccessful candidates in the 1911 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1919 New Zealand general election Burials at Park Island Cemetery Napier City Councillors Members of district health boards in New Zealand