Henry Holland (7 December 1859 – 29 December 1944) was a New Zealand politician of the Reform Party, and

Mayor of Christchurch The Mayor of Christchurch is the head of the municipal government of Christchurch, New Zealand, and presides over the Christchurch City Council. The mayor is directly elected using a First Past the Post electoral system. The current mayor, Phi ...

from 1912 to 1919.

Early life

Holland was born in Nafferton,

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to ...

, England in 1859. His parents were the farmers Ann and Robert Holland, a farm laborer. The family emigrated to New Zealand in 1863 when Henry Holland was four, and settled in West Melton on an undeveloped farm. Holland received his education at a West Melton private school and the Halkett public school. He eventually began farming at Greendale on 100 acres in 1881. Four years later in October 1885, he married Jane Eastwood, a schoolteacher, in Christchurch; they would later have five sons and three daughters.

Local government

Henry Holland with cloak and mayoral chain

Holland was made a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission (letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the same ...

in 1907, and in 1911 was elected to the

Christchurch City Council The Christchurch City Council is the local government authority for Christchurch in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority elected to represent the people of Christchurch. Since October 2022, the Mayor of Christchurch is Phil Mauger, wh ...

for the Central Ward. He was a friend of

Tommy Taylor Thomas Taylor (29 January 1932 – 6 February 1958) was an English footballer, who was known for his aerial ability. He was one of the eight Manchester United players who died in the Munich air disaster. Career Taylor was born in Smithies, ...

. The 1912 mayoral election was held on 24 April, and it was contested by the incumbent

John Joseph Dougall John Joseph Dougall (1860 – 5 September 1934) was Mayor of Christchurch in 1911–1912. He was a solicitor by profession. In his later life, the Navy League was his main interest. Early life Dougall was born in Aberdeenshire in Scotland in 1 ...

, Holland, and

Henry Thacker Henry Thomas Joynt Thacker (20 March 1870 – 3 May 1939) was a medical doctor, New Zealand Member of Parliament and Mayor of Christchurch. Early life Thacker was born in Okains Bay on Banks Peninsula on 20 March 1870. His parents were Essy Joy ...

. Like the previous election in April 1911, the incumbent came last. Holland was successful with 4,127 votes, with Thacker and Dougall receiving 2,931 and 2,637 votes, respectively. Holland was installed as mayor on 1 May 1912. He was challenged in 1915 by Henry Sorensen. Holland was Mayor of Christchurch for seven years. The 1917 mayoral election was contested by Holland and the MP

James McCombs James (Jimmy) McCombs (9 December 1873 – 2 August 1933) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for Lyttelton. Biography Early life and career McCombs was born in Treanmore, Mohill, County Leitrim, Ireland, the elder child of George McCombs ...

along the lines of win-the-

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

(Holland) and anti-

conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

(McCombs). The result was a crushing defeat of McCombs; Holland received 12,177 votes and McCombs received 5,381. Holland retired from the mayoralty in 1919; the election was contested by three candidates. In the

1918 New Year Honours The 1918 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were published in '' The London Gazette'' and '' The Times'' in ...

, Holland and his wife, Jane (née Eastwood), were appointed

Officers of the Order of the British Empire An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," fr ...

for service in World War I. He was subsequently promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire, for services in connection with patriotic undertakings, in the 1919 King's Birthday Honours. He was a board member of the Lyttelton Harbour Board and was chairman of the board from 5 June 1929 to 5 June 1930.

Member of Parliament

Henry Holland was the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members ofte ...

for Christchurch North from

1925 Events January * January 1 ** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the I ...

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart b ...

, when he retired. In 1935, Holland was awarded the

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir by King George V to commemorate his Silver J ...

. His son,

Sidney Holland Sir Sidney George Holland (18 October 1893 – 5 August 1961) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 25th prime minister of New Zealand from 13 December 1949 to 20 September 1957. He was instrumental in the creation and consolidation o ...

, was the 25th

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is n ...

from

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – ...

to 1957.

Death

Holland died on 29 December 1944 and was buried at Linwood Cemetery.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Holland, Henry 1859 births 1944 deaths Mayors of Christchurch Reform Party (New Zealand) MPs New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand Methodists English emigrants to New Zealand People from Driffield New Zealand MPs for Christchurch electorates Burials at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Unsuccessful candidates in the 1919 New Zealand general election Lyttelton Harbour Board members Parents of prime ministers of New Zealand