Henry John Tancred (1816 – 27 April 1884), also known as Harry Tancred, was a 19th-century

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

politician.

Early life

Tancred was baptised on 14 May 1816 at the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

. His father was Sir Thomas Tancred, 6th Baronet and his elder brother was Sir Thomas Tancred, 7th Baronet. He was educated at

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. Up ...

. He served in the Austrian army and fought in Austria, Hungary and Italy. He was severely injured in a fall from a horse and had a speech impairment as a result.

New Zealand

Back in England to recuperate, he became interested in the

Canterbury Association The Canterbury Association was formed in 1848 in England by members of parliament, peers, and Anglican church leaders, to establish a colony in New Zealand. The settlement was to be called Canterbury, with its capital to be known as Christchurch. ...

and decided to emigrate. He arrived in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

in December 1850 from Wellington on the ''Barbara Gordon'', just prior to the arrival of the first Canterbury settlers. He married Georgeanna Janet Grace Richmond in Nelson on 30 July 1857.

Political career

Provincial Council

Tancred was one of three candidates for the role of

Superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

in 1853. The election was won by James FitzGerald. He became a member of 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 ...

at its establishment in 1853 and retained membership until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. In 1866, he was elected speaker of this council.

Member of the upper house

Tancred was a member of the

New Zealand Legislative Council The New Zealand Legislative Council was the upper house of the General Assembly of New Zealand between 1853 and 1951. An earlier arrangement of legislative councils for the colony and provinces existed from 1841 when New Zealand became a co ...

from 1856 to 1866.

Member of the executive

Tancred was a member of three ministries. He was appointed as a

minister without portfolio A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet w ...

in the 2nd Parliament in the

Sewell Ministry The Sewell Ministry was the first responsible government in New Zealand. Unlike previous executives, its members were held accountable to Parliament. This would form the basis for future governments in New Zealand. The ministry formed in 1856, ...

, from 18 April to 20 May 1856. In the first Stafford Ministry, which he joined on 5 August 1858 as a member of the executive council, he was appointed as Secretary for Crown Lands (19 August 1858) and three months later (3 November) Postmaster-General. He held those offices until the end of this government on 12 July 1861. In the 3rd Parliament, he was a member of the executive council of the Domett Ministry from 6 August 1862 until 6 February 1863.

Member of the lower house

He was the Member of Parliament for

Ashley Ashley is a place name derived from the Old English words '' æsc'' (“ash”) and '' lēah'' (“meadow”). It may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ashley (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

in the fourth Parliament from 1867 to 1870, when he retired.

Death

Tancred died in Christchurch on 27 April 1884, aged 68 years. He was buried at Barbadoes Street Cemetery three days later. He was survived by his wife. There were no children from the marriage.

Notes

References

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Tancred, Henry 1816 births 1884 deaths Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council Members of the Canterbury Provincial Council Burials at Barbadoes Street Cemetery Members of Canterbury provincial executive councils New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates Military personnel from the Isle of Wight People educated at Rugby School English emigrants to New Zealand 19th-century New Zealand politicians Sheriffs of New Zealand