Robert Morrow Houston (1842 – 27 September 1912) was a
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.
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Member of Parliament in New Zealand.
Early life
Houston was born in 1842 in
County Down, Ireland.
His father was Rev. T. Houston,
DD. He received his education at
Belfast Academy
The Belfast Royal Academy (commonly shortened to ) is the oldest school in the city of Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is a co-educational, non-denominational voluntary grammar school in north Belfast. The Academy is one of 8 schools in Northern ...
and
Queen's College, Belfast
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.
He emigrated to New Zealand on the ''Canterbury'', arriving in
Lyttelton on 10 January 1864. Later that year, he went to
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...
and then worked as a school teacher in
Whangarei and
Otara. After that, he became a storekeeper in
Mangonui.
In 1870, he married Christina Robertson "Tina" Stewart of Auckland.
Their son, Andrew Stewart Houston (born 1879), served in the
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...
. Another son, Harold Edward Houston (born 1885), died in action in France in 1916.
Political career
He was chairman of the Mangonui Town Board, chaired the
Oruaiti District Board, and for 24 years chaired the
Mangonui County Council.
He was elected to the electorate in the
1890 general election, and he represented the seat to
1908
Events
January
* January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica.
* January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 4 ...
, when he retired.
In the 1890 election, he contested the electorate against James Trounsen,
John Lundon and
Joseph Dargaville. Houston, Trounsen, Lundon, and Dargaville received 465, 454, 385 and 352 votes, respectively.
He chaired the Native Affairs Committee for 15 years and stepped back from that role in 1906 for health reasons.
Whilst he was a strong supporter of
Richard Seddon
Richard John Seddon (22 June 1845 – 10 June 1906) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 15th premier (prime minister) of New Zealand from 1893 until his death. In office for thirteen years, he is to date New Zealand's longest-se ...
, he was of the conservative end of the liberal spectrum and caused his party whips quite a bit of trouble over the years.
Death
He died at Mangonui on 27 September 1912 aged 70 after a prolonged period of poor health.
He was survived by his wife.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Houston, Robert Morrow
1842 births
1912 deaths
New Zealand Liberal Party MPs
Politicians from County Down
People from the Northland Region
New Zealand traders
Alumni of Queen's University Belfast
People educated at the Belfast Royal Academy
19th-century New Zealand politicians
Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
Irish emigrants to New Zealand