Robert William Dyer was a solicitor, judge and served as

mayor of Hamilton, New Zealand The mayor of Hamilton is the head of the municipal government of Hamilton, New Zealand, and presides over the Hamilton City Council. The incumbent is Paula Southgate, who was first elected in the 2019 local government elections. History Hamil ...

from 1901 to 1903.

Professional life

Robert was articled to E. A. Mackechnie, a leading Auckland solicitor, and admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court at the unusually early age of age of 21 in 1881. He became a leading Auckland solicitor before moving to the Waikato, to enter into partnership with Sir

Frederick Whitaker Sir Frederick Whitaker (23 April 1812 – 4 December 1891) was an English-born New Zealand politician who served twice as the premier of New Zealand and six times as Attorney-General. Early life Whitaker was born at the Deanery Manor House, ...

, of

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

, managing the

Kihikihi Kihikihi, a small town located in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand, serves as a satellite community of Te Awamutu, five kilometres to the north, and lies 35 kilometres south of Hamilton. The 2018 New Zealand census recorded ...

and then the

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

branch of the business, before moving to Hamilton in 1889, when Sir Frederick's health was failing. He became

registrar of deeds A registrar is an official keeper of records made in a register. The term may refer to: Education * Registrar (education), an official in an academic institution who handles student records * Registrar of the University of Oxford, one of the sen ...

in Invercargill in 1903, then in 1905, a

stipendiary magistrate Stipendiary magistrates were magistrates that were paid for their work (they received a stipend). They existed in the judiciaries of the United Kingdom and those of several former British territories, where they sat in the lowest-level criminal ...

in Auckland, then

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...

and, about 1918, in

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 ...

. After nine years he retired to Napier. As stipendiary magistrate at

Whakatāne Whakatāne ( , ) is the seat of the Bay of Plenty region in the North Island of New Zealand, east of Tauranga and north-east of Rotorua, at the mouth of the Whakatāne River. Whakatāne District is the encompassing territorial authority, whi ...

, he gave evidence in the lengthy case against

Rua Kenana Hepetipa Rua Kenana Hepetipa or Rua Kēnana Hepetipa (1869 – 20 February 1937) was a Māori prophet, faith healer and land rights activist. He called himself Te Mihaia Hou, the New Messiah, and claimed to be Te Kooti Arikirangi's successor Hepetipa ...

in 1916.

Personal life

Robert was born in Mahurangi, the son of Robert Coates Dyer, at that time a farmer, who subsequently became a member of

Auckland Provincial Council The Auckland Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. Area The province covered roughly half of the North Island of New Zealand. It was the largest of the six initial provinces, both ...

and later a teacher at the Church of England Grammar School, Parnell, and then headmaster at Cambridge District High School. Robert went to his father's Parnell school and to St. John's College, Tamaki. On June 23, 1885, at St Paul's Church, Auckland Robert was married to Elizabeth Augusta Minnitt, eldest daughter of Major Charles Goring Minnitt, late of the Waikato Militia, which he commanded at Kihikihi. She was a granddaughter of Sir Frederick Whitaker. He was survived by three sons and two daughters. * Elizabeth Caroline Dyer 1886–1967 * Eileen Dyer 1887–1969 * Robert William Dyer 1889–1962 Robert William was wounded during 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 ...

in 1915 and married in 1918. * Guy Musgrave Dyer 1891–1971 * Humphrey Goring Dyer 1896–1977 He died on 5 August 1939 at his home on Lighthouse Road in Napier, aged 81. His wife died in 1953

Public life

Robert was elected to Hamilton Borough Council in 1899 and was Mayor of Hamilton from 8 May 1901 until 13 May 1903, He had lost mayoral elections in 1898 and 1899, but was elected unopposed in 1901 and 1902. In summing up his 3½ years on the council, he said the streets were in better order, but regretted making no progress with a replacement of the Union Bridge and not completing the water supply scheme. Money had been spent on a dinner for the prime minister, possibly a reason for his obituary describing him as an ardent supporter of

Richard Seddon Richard John Seddon (22 June 1845 – 10 June 1906) was a New Zealand politician who served as the List of prime ministers of New Zealand, 15th Prime Minister of New Zealand, premier (prime minister) of New Zealand from 1893 until his death. ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dyer, Robert William 1859 births 1939 deaths Mayors of Hamilton, New Zealand 19th-century New Zealand lawyers Politicians from Auckland 20th-century New Zealand judges