Richard Harman Jeffares Reeves (1836 – 1 June 1910) was a New Zealand politician of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. He was acting Speaker of the Legislative Council in 1905.

Biography

Early life and career

Reeves was born in

Enniscorthy Enniscorthy () is the second-largest town in County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. At the 2016 census, the population of the town and environs was 11,381. The town is located on the picturesque River Slaney and in close proximity to the ...

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...

, Ireland, in 1836. He was educated at Barrow Grammar School, and subsequently at

Tarvin Tarvin is a village in the unitary authority of Cheshire West and Chester and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. It had a population of 2,693 people at the 2001 UK census, rising to 2,728 at the 2011 Census, and the ward covers about . ...

, Cheshire. In early youth he went to sea and in 1852 he left England for

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

, New South Wales. He worked in various trades, including mining, store keeping, cattle dealing and auctioneering.

Political career

Whilst absent on a visit to Australia in 1866, he was elected member for the Hokitika electorate in 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 ...

, but resigned on his return to New Zealand, as he found that pressure of business prevented him from taking his seat. His membership lasted from 4 July to 20 October 1866. When the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

was separated from

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. ...

, Reeves was elected onto the

Westland County Westland County, also known as County of Westland, was a local government area on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It existed from 1868 to 1873, and then from 1876 until 1989. In its first incarnation, it constituted the government f ...

for the Hokitika riding (May 1869 – June 1870). He represented the Grey electorate on the

Nelson Provincial Council Nelson Province was constituted in 1853 under the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852, and originally covered the entire upper South Island, including all of present-day Buller, Kaikoura, Marlborough, and Tasman districts, along with Nelson Ci ...

in the last few months before the abolition of the provincial governments (28 April 1876 – 31 October 1876). He represented the Grey Valley electorate in Parliament from an 1878 by-election, caused by the resignation of Martin Kennedy, to 1881. He was defeated for the Inangahua electorate in the 1881 general election, but won that electorate in

1887 Events January–March * January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher. * January 20 ** The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Har ...

. Reeves joined the

when it was formed after the and all through his political career he has been a consistent advocate of all liberal and labour measures. He resigned on 26 April 1893 as he had been adjudged bankrupt. At the November , he contested the electorate once more, but came last of the three candidates. Reeves was appointed to the Legislative Council on 13 December 1895, and was reappointed at the end of the term in 1902 and 1909. After the death of

Alfred Cadman Sir Alfred Jerome Cadman (17 June 1847 – 23 March 1905) was a New Zealand politician of the Liberal Party. He was the Minister of Railways from 1895 to 1899 in the Liberal Government. Early life Cadman was born in Sydney, Australia, in 1847 ...

, he was acting

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

in 1905 (23 March – 30 June). He was Chairman of Committees for three periods between 1904 and his death on 1 June 1910. He died in Nelson aged 76 of a heart attack after an illness. His wife had died in November 1908. They are both buried at

Wakapuaka Cemetery Wakapuaka Cemetery is a cemetery located in Brooklands, Nelson, New Zealand. "Wakapuaka" is Māori for "heaps of aka leaves". Location Wakapuaka Cemetery is located at the southern end of Atawhai Drive in Nelson. The cemetery is located on a h ...

. Reeves was an elder brother of Charles Stephen Reeves, who was

Mayor of Dunedin The Mayor of Dunedin is the head of the local government, the city council of Dunedin, New Zealand. The Mayor's role is "to provide leadership to the other elected members of the territorial authority, be a leader in the community and perform c ...

in 1876.

Notes

References

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the

public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...

: * *''Who’s Who in New Zealand'' (1st edition, 1908) *''Dictionary of New Zealand Biography'' (1940) , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Reeves, Richard 1836 births 1910 deaths New Zealand Liberal Party MPs Members of the Canterbury Provincial Council New Zealand people of Irish descent People educated at Barrow-in-Furness Grammar School for Boys Politicians from County Wexford Speakers of the New Zealand Legislative Council Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council Members of the Nelson Provincial Council Members of the Westland County Council Unsuccessful candidates in the 1881 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1884 New Zealand general election Date of birth unknown Unsuccessful candidates in the 1893 New Zealand general election 19th-century New Zealand politicians Burials at Wakapuaka Cemetery

Biography

Early life and career

Political career

See also

Notes

References