Sir William Herbert Herries (19 April 1859 – 22 February 1923) was an English-born New Zealand politician.

Biography

Herries was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, the son of Herbert Crompton Herries, a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

, and his wife, Leonora Emma Wickham. His grandfather was

Henry Lewis Wickham Henry Lewis Wickham (19 May 1789 – 27 October 1864) was Receiver General of Gibraltar, Chairman of the Boards of stamps and taxes (1838–1848), and principal private secretary to Lord Althorp when Chancellor of the Exchequer. He was called to t ...

, a

Receiver General A receiver general (or receiver-general) is an officer responsible for accepting payments on behalf of a government, and for making payments to a government on behalf of other parties. See also * Treasurer * Receiver General for Canada * Recei ...

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

. The English MP William Wickham was his uncle. From a wealthy middle-class family, he was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

, where he studied natural sciences. At the age of 22 he emigrated to New Zealand and became a farmer near Te Aroha, with a passion for racing and breeding horses. On 4 December 1889, he married his neighbour Catherine Louisa Roche; they remained without children. Herries was elected to the House of Representatives for the Bay of Plenty electorate in

1896 Events January–March * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that Wil ...

, holding the seat until

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 46 ...

, when he was elected for Tauranga, which he held until his death. He became a member of the Reform Party, which formed in 1909. The Herries travelled to England in 1912; they left on 21 March on the ''Iconic''. The journey was a disaster, though. Just before they left, his mother died in New Zealand. His wife, who had been in indifferent health, died on the journey to England. He was the

Minister of Native Affairs Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

from 1912 to February 1921,

Minister of Railways A Ministry of Railways is a Cabinet department that exists or has existed in many Commonwealth states as well as others. It generally occurs in countries where railroad transportation is a particularly important part of the national infrastructure. ...

from 1912 to 1919, Minister of Marine and

Minister of Customs The Minister of Customs was a position in the Cabinet of the Government of Canada responsible for the administration of customs revenue collection in Canada. This position was originally created by Statute 31 Vict., c. 43, and assented to on 22 May ...

from 1919 to February 1921, and Minister of Labour from 1920 to February 1921 in the Reform Government. Herries was appointed a

Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

(KCMG) in the

1920 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1920 were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by members of the British Empire. They were published on 1 January 1920 and 30 March 1920 (referred to as the 1920 civil ...

. He died in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

on 22 February 1923.

Footnotes

References

* * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Herries, William 1859 births 1923 deaths Politicians from London English emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand farmers Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand Reform Party (New Zealand) MPs People educated at Eton College People from the Bay of Plenty Region Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates 19th-century New Zealand politicians New Zealand politicians awarded knighthoods