John Chilton Lambton Carter (31 January 1816 – 27 May 1872) was a 19th-century New Zealand politician.

Early life

He was born in Conwal,

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...

, Ireland where his English father was stationed with the 44th Regiment.

Military career

He followed in his father's footsteps and became a soldier. He became an

Ensign An ensign is the national flag flown on a vessel to indicate nationality. The ensign is the largest flag, generally flown at the stern (rear) of the ship while in port. The naval ensign (also known as war ensign), used on warships, may be diffe ...

in the 44th Regiment on 28 Mar 1834. In 1836, he was accused of raping a nine-year-old girl at his barracks at Fort William. He did not deny that he had sex with the child, but said that it was consensual because she was a prostitute. The case was dismissed for lack of evidence. Later, he was in the 53rd Regiment, where he obtained the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

. He resigned and came to New Zealand, settling 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 is ...

. He worked as a sheep farmer.

Political career

He was elected as the second

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 ...

Hawke's Bay Province The Hawke's Bay Province was a province of New Zealand. The province separated from the Wellington Province following a meeting in Napier in February 1858, and existed until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. At the time of its es ...

. He served from 8 Apr 1861 to 5 Dec 1862.

Family and death

Carter was married twice. His first marriage on 27 Aug 1844 was with Susan Frances Lillicrap in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

, Devon, England; four boys and four girls. The first three children from the first marriage were all born in

Firozpur Firozpur, also known as Ferozepur, is a city on the banks of the Sutlej River in Firozpur District, Punjab, India. After the partition of India in 1947, it became a border town on the India–Pakistan border with memorials to soldiers who di ...

, India, between 1847 and 1849. The next two were born in England, in 1850 and 1851. His remaining children were born in Napier, New Zealand. Susan Lillicrap died on 31 Dec 1862. His second marriage was with Maria Theresa McKain, on 19 Aug 1864, Napier; they had three daughters. Carter died on 27 May 1872 in Napier.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, John Chilton Lambton 1816 births 1872 deaths 19th-century Irish people Politicians from County Donegal Superintendents of New Zealand provincial councils New Zealand people of Irish descent 19th-century New Zealand politicians