Vernon Herbert Reed (7 May 1871 – 26 May 1963) 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.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
and from 1912 a
Reform Party member of parliament in New Zealand. He was later a member of the
Legislative Council.
Early life
Reed was the youngest son of
George McCullagh Reed
George McCullagh Reed (1831 – 13 November 1898) was a New Zealand presbyterian minister, journalist and newspaper proprietor.
Reed was born in County Monaghan, Ireland in about 1831. He received his education from Queen's College, Belfast, ...
, a newspaper proprietor, and Jessie Chalmers Reed (née Ranken). He was born in
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
, where his father had moved to in circa 1870 after several years in
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
, Australia.
An elder brother was
John Reed.
Reed received his education at
Victoria College, Jersey
Victoria College is a Government of Jersey, Government-run, Independent school, fee-paying, academically selective day school ,
Dulwich College
Dulwich College is a 2–19 independent, day and boarding school for boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a public school, it began as the College of God's Gift, founded in 1619 by Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn, with the original purpose of ...
, London, and the
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...
, New South Wales.
He was in England from 1878 to 1887. In 1889, he joined the ''
Daily Telegraph
Daily or The Daily may refer to:
Journalism
* Daily newspaper, newspaper issued on five to seven day of most weeks
* ''The Daily'' (podcast), a podcast by ''The New York Times''
* ''The Daily'' (News Corporation), a defunct US-based iPad new ...
'' and in 1891 moved to ''
The Sydney Morning Herald
''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...
'' where he also stayed for two years. He moved to
Kawakawa in the
Bay of Islands
The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for its ...
at the end of 1893 or 1895 (sources differ) and commenced legal studies.
He took over his brother's legal practice upon his brother's move to
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
in 1896.
He was admitted as a solicitor in 1899, and five years later, he was admitted as a barrister.
Reed was clerk and treasurer to the
Bay of Islands County
Bay of Islands County was one of the counties of New Zealand in the North Island
The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Isl ...
.
Reed played
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
as a batter and
bowler, representing both Dulwich College in 1886 and the Bay of Islands in 1897. He also played
rugby union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...
as a forward and
represented Auckland Province in 1889,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
in 1890,
New South Wales Colony in 1891 and 1892 and the
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 ...
in 1895.
While in the Hawke's Bay, Reed captained the
Waipawa
Waipawa is the second-largest town in Central Hawke's Bay in the east of the North Island of New Zealand. It has a population of At the 2013 census, it had a population of 1,965, a change of 2.2 percent from the 2006 census.
The town is locate ...
Branch Union.
Political career
Reed won the
Bay of Islands
The Bay of Islands is an area on the east coast of the Far North District of the North Island of New Zealand. It is one of the most popular fishing, sailing and tourist destinations in the country, and has been renowned internationally for its ...
electorate in the
1908 general election as a candidate of the Liberal Party. The resulted in significant losses for the Liberal Party and
Joseph Ward
Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, (26 April 1856 – 8 July 1930) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 17th prime minister of New Zealand from 1906 to 1912 and from 1928 to 1930. He was a dominant figure in the Liberal and Unit ...
's government survived a
no-confidence motion
A motion of no confidence, also variously called a vote of no confidence, no-confidence motion, motion of confidence, or vote of confidence, is a statement or vote about whether a person in a position of responsibility like in government or mana ...
on the casting vote of the
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:
** In ...
only. Ward chose to resign, though, and made way for a new liberal
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 not ...
,
Thomas Mackenzie
Sir Thomas Mackenzie (10 March 1853 – 14 February 1930) was a Scotland, Scottish-born New Zealand politician and explorer who briefly served as the List of Prime Ministers of New Zealand, 18th prime minister of New Zealand in 1912, and ...
.
Reed expected to be part of the new
cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filing ...
and the media discussed that he might be appointed
Attorney-General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
due to his legal background. Reed was invited to cabinet, but he did not join because the majority of the cabinet did not support his views of
freehold
Freehold may refer to:
In real estate
*Freehold (law), the tenure of property in fee simple
*Customary freehold, a form of feudal tenure of land in England
*Parson's freehold, where a Church of England rector or vicar of holds title to benefice p ...
. When the Mackenzie government faced a no-confidence vote in July 1912, Reed voted with the opposition, thus effectively joining the Reform Party.
Reed's switch to Reform caused problems in the . George Wilkinson had been the Reform candidate in the Bay of Islands electorate in 1911, he was keen to represent Reform in that electorate in 1914, and he had the backing of the local electorate committee. Reed also wanted to run for Reform, and as he had the backing of the party head office, he was declared the official Reform candidate. Reed narrowly won the election against
Te Rangi Hīroa
Sir Peter Henry Buck (ca. October 1877 – 1 December 1951), also known as Te Rangi Hīroa or Te Rangihīroa, was a New Zealand doctor, military leader, health administrator, politician, anthropologist and museum director. He was a prominen ...
of the Liberal Party, with Wilkinson coming third.
Bill Veitch
William Andrew Veitch (25 May 1870 – 1 January 1961) was a New Zealand politician. He began his career in the labour movement, but became a strong opponent of more militant socialism, and rejected the radical views held by many of his colleag ...
, at the time a
United Labour Party MP in
Wanganui
Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...
, claimed that Wilkinson had been under immense pressure from the Reform Party not to contest the Bay of Islands election, and that
William Massey
William Ferguson Massey (26 March 1856 – 10 May 1925), commonly known as Bill Massey, was a politician who served as the 19th prime minister of New Zealand from May 1912 to May 1925. He was the founding leader of the Reform Party, New Zea ...
had promised him a seat in the Legislative Council in return, an allegation later picked up by other media outlets but also implicating Reed in the affair.
This complaint was elevated to a formal election petition in April 1915 by Kawakawa resident Edward Evans, who engaged a
King's Counsel
In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel ( post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of a queen, is a lawyer (usually a barrister or ...
,
John Findlay, and a solicitor,
Bill Endean
William Phillips Endean (26 September 1883 – 19 June 1957) was a New Zealand politician, first of the Reform Party then from 1935 the National Party. He failed to be selected for the and was the first sitting National MP with that fate, bu ...
, as his counsel. Reed used his brother, also a King's Counsel, as his counsel. The primary complaint was that Reed had, through an intermediary, tried to convince Wilkinson to retire by promising him a seat on the Legislative Council, and to reimburse him for his election campaign expenses. On 8 May 1915, the petition was upheld
Justice Chapman and
Justice Hosking, the election declared void, and Reed barred from standing in another election for one year. Since 1913, there have been over 100
by-elections held in New Zealand, and this was one of only five cases where a general election was declared void by the courts.
The resulting by-election was won by
William Stewart in June . Reed won the electorate again in after Stewart's resignation, and was defeated in
1922
Events
January
* January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes.
* January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...
.
He was later appointed a member of the
Legislative Council, from 1924 to 1931. In 1932, he hosted the
Governor-General
Governor-general (plural ''governors-general''), or governor general (plural ''governors general''), is the title of an office-holder. In the context of governors-general and former British colonies, governors-general are appointed as viceroy t ...
,
The Viscount Bledisloe, and showed him the run-down and forgotten Busby house where the
Treaty of Waitangi
The Treaty of Waitangi ( mi, Te Tiriti o Waitangi) is a document of central importance to the history, to the political constitution of the state, and to the national mythos of New Zealand. It has played a major role in the treatment of the M ...
had been signed in 1840. The Viscount Bledisloe purchased the estate and gifted it to the nation; the
Treaty House
The Treaty House ( mi, Whare Tiriti) at Waitangi in Northland, New Zealand, is the former house of the British Resident in New Zealand, James Busby. The Treaty of Waitangi, the document that established the British Colony of New Zealand, was ...
has since been registered by the
New Zealand Historic Places Trust
Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga (initially the National Historic Places Trust and then, from 1963 to 2014, the New Zealand Historic Places Trust) ( mi, Pouhere Taonga) is a Crown entity with a membership of around 20,000 people that advocate ...
as a Category I historic place with registration number 6. Reed later wrote a book about the Bledisloe gift.
In 1926 Reed was appointed as one of three members of a Royal Commission (the 'Sim Commission') set up to investigate Māori land confiscations during the nineteenth century.
In 1935, he 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 ...
. Reed joined the
National Party and was one of the Auckland agitators against
Adam Hamilton
Adam Hamilton (20 August 1880 – 29 April 1952) was a New Zealand politician. He was the first non-interim Leader of the National Party during its early years in Opposition.
Early life
Hamilton was born in Forest Hill, near Winton, Southl ...
and for
Charles Wilkinson Charles Wilkinson may refer to:
* Charles Wilkinson (MP) (1725–1782), English Member of Parliament
*Charles Edmund Wilkinson (1807–1870), acting Governor of British Ceylon
* Charles Wilkinson (cricketer) (1813–1889), English cricketer and cle ...
.
Marriage
On 28 April 1909, Reed married Eila Mabel Williams at
St Paul's Church in Auckland.
His wife was from the family of missionaries who came to New Zealand from the 1820s on behalf of the
Church Missionary Society
The Church Mission Society (CMS), formerly known as the Church Missionary Society, is a British mission society working with the Christians around the world. Founded in 1799, CMS has attracted over nine thousand men and women to serve as mission ...
. Her grandfather was
Henry Williams Henry Williams may refer to:
Politicians
*Henry Williams (activist) (born 2000), chief of staff of the Mike Gravel 2020 presidential campaign
*Henry Williams (MP for Northamptonshire) (died 1558), Member of Parliament (MP) for Northamptonshire ( ...
,
and her father was the runholder
Thomas Coldham Williams (1825–1912). The portrait painter
William Beetham
William Beetham (25 July 1809 – 3 August 1888) was an English-born portrait painter, who painted mainly in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. He exhibited his paintings at the Royal Academy of Arts in London (1834–53) and painted in Hamburg, ...
was her maternal grandfather. The wedding ceremony was conducted by her father's cousin,
Leonard Williams, who was
Bishop of Waiapu
The Diocese of Waiapu is one of the thirteen dioceses and hui amorangi of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. The Diocese covers the area around the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand, including Tauranga, Tau ...
.
Her second cousin, archbishop
Herbert Williams
Herbert may refer to:
People Individuals
* Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert
Name
* Herbert (given name)
* Herbert (surname)
Places Antarctica
* Herbert Mountains, Coats Land
* Herbert Sound, Graham Land
Australia
* Herbert, ...
, assisted his father with the service.
Her younger sister Enid "Githa" Williams had married Royal Navy officer
James Fergusson in 1901 in England; he was later to become
Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff. Her elder sister
Maude Burge
Maude Burge (née Williams, 18 May 1865 – 20 May 1957) was a New Zealand painter influenced by James Nairn. She spent time as an expatriate artist specifically in Europe. Burge was a painting companion of Frances Hodgkins who called Maude Bu ...
née Williams was a New Zealand painter who lived in
Saint-Tropez
, INSEE = 83119
, postal code = 83990
, image coat of arms = Blason ville fr Saint-Tropez-A (Var).svg
, image flag=Flag of Saint-Tropez.svg
Saint-Tropez (; oc, Sant Tropetz, ; ) is a commune in the Var department and the region of Provence-Al ...
and was the painting companion of
Frances Hodgkins
Frances Mary Hodgkins (28 April 1869 – 13 May 1947) was a New Zealand painter chiefly of landscape and still life, and for a short period was a designer of textiles. She was born and raised in New Zealand, but spent most of her working l ...
Her husband's eldest brother,
Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Baronet
Sir Charles Fergusson, 7th Baronet, (17 January 1865 – 20 February 1951), was a British Army officer and the third Governor-General of New Zealand.
Early life and military career
Fergusson was the son of Sir James Fergusson, 6th Baronet, th ...
, was the 3rd
Governor-General of New Zealand
The governor-general of New Zealand ( mi, te kāwana tianara o Aotearoa) is the viceregal representative of the monarch of New Zealand, currently King Charles III. As the King is concurrently the monarch of 14 other Commonwealth realms and li ...
(1924–1930).
Vernon and Eila Reed had three children:
*"Thomas" Walton Reed (6 December 1910 – 12 November 2006), born in Wellington
*"Nigel" Vernon Reed (31 October 1913 – 20 September 1997), born in Wellington
*"Elfie" Clare Temple Reed (20 November 1917 – 13 March 1991), born in Wellington; married name was Elliott
Bibliography
*
*
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Vernon
1871 births
1963 deaths
Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council
Reform Party (New Zealand) MPs
New Zealand Liberal Party MPs
Reform Party (New Zealand) MLCs
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1922 New Zealand general election
Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates
People educated at Victoria College, Jersey
People educated at Dulwich College
University of Sydney alumni
New Zealand cricketers
New Zealand rugby union players
Auckland rugby union players
New South Wales Waratahs players
Hawke's Bay rugby union players