William John Warburton Hamilton (April 1825 – 6 December 1883), who generally signed as J. W. Hamilton, was an administrator, explorer, and politician in New Zealand.
Early life
Hamilton was born in 1825 at
Little Chart
Little Chart is a village and civil parish, situated north-west of Ashford in Kent, South East England. The parish lies south of the M20 motorway.
Geography
Within the parish boundaries is the linear settlement village centre by the old water m ...
,
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
, England. His father was Rev John Vesey Hamilton, and
Richard Vesey Hamilton
Sir Richard Vesey Hamilton (28 May 1829 – 17 September 1912) was a Royal Navy officer. As a junior officer he twice volunteered to take part in missions to search for Sir John Franklin's ill-fated expedition to find the Northwest Passage ...
was his younger brother. He was educated in England,
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
,
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, and at
Harrow School
(The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God)
, established = (Royal Charter)
, closed =
, type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school
, religion = Church of E ...
. He emigrated aged 18 on the ''Bangalore'' with
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 ...
in Australia as his destination, but he met
Robert FitzRoy
Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy (5 July 1805 – 30 April 1865) was an English officer of the Royal Navy and a scientist. He achieved lasting fame as the captain of during Charles Darwin's famous voyage, FitzRoy's second expedition to Tierra de ...
on the journey and became his private secretary; FitzRoy was travelling to take up the role of
Governor 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 liv ...
.
Early time in New Zealand
![Hanmer 004](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Hanmer_004.JPG)
Hamilton served for FitzRoy until the latter was recalled, and then worked under the next governor,
George Grey
Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Go ...
. Hamilton returned to England in 1846. He returned on in 1848 as a survey officer. From inland explorations, geographic features were named for him, including Hamilton Plains (now known as
Hanmer Plain) on the
Waiau Uwha River
Waiau Uwha River, previously known as the Waiau River, is a river in north Canterbury in the South Island of New Zealand. The Waiau Uwha River rises in the Spenser Mountains and flows eastward to the Pacific Ocean. The Waiau Uwha River has th ...
, and the nearby Mount Hamilton. In 1849, he attempted the first known ascent of
Mount Tapuaenuku in the
Kaikoura Ranges. He was with
Edward John Eyre
Edward John Eyre (5 August 181530 November 1901) was an English land explorer of the Australian continent, colonial administrator, and Governor of Jamaica.
Early life
Eyre was born in Whipsnade, Bedfordshire, shortly before his family moved to ...
,
Lieutenant-Governor of New Munster
New Munster was an early original European name for the South Island of New Zealand, given by the Governor of New Zealand, Captain William Hobson, in honour of Munster, the Irish province in which he was born.
Province
When New Zealand was sepa ...
, and seven
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
. They came within a short distance of the summit but were forced to turn back.
In 1850, Governor Grey appointed Hamilton
resident magistrate for
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 ...
, which was a significant responsibility for a person aged 25.
Life in Canterbury
Hamilton held the post in Wanganui for about half a year only before he took on another role at
Port Cooper (now known as Lyttelton). At Lyttelton, he was appointed collector of customs for
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.
...
in August 1853.
On 6 November 1855, Hamilton married Frances Townsend, daughter of
James Townsend of
Ferrymead
Ferrymead is a suburb south-east of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is the main thoroughfare for reaching the eastern sea suburbs such as Sumner, as well as home to a number of cliff-top residences and businesses along the estuary front. After t ...
. She was the eldest sister of the artist
Mary Townsend Mary Townsend may refer to:
* Mary Townsend (entomologist) (1814–1851), American abolitionist and entomologist
* Mary Townsend (artist)
Mary Townsend (1822 – 31 December 1869) was an artist and an early English settler in Canterbury, New Zea ...
.
In the first elections for 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 ...
on 31 August 1853, five people contested the three available positions in the Town of Lyttelton electorate. Hamilton came a close second, and was thus returned; the other successful candidates were
Isaac Cookson
Isaac Cookson (1679–1743) was the founder of Cookson Group, a United Kingdom-based materials technology businesses.
Career
Baptised and brought up in Penrith, Isaac Cookson moved to Newcastle upon Tyne in 1704 to further his career. In partner ...
and
Christopher Edward Dampier (the solicitor of the
Canterbury Association
The Canterbury Association was formed in 1848 in England by members of parliament, peers, and Anglican church leaders, to establish a colony in New Zealand. The settlement was to be called Canterbury, with its capital to be known as Christchurch. ...
). In November 1853, he was appointed onto the first Executive Council (comparable to a
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 ...
) as Provincial Auditor under
Henry Tancred. During a day of low attendance in October 1854,
Richard Packer secured a suspension of the council's standing orders, which allowed him to have the first two readings of a bill to enlarge the council's membership by 12 additional members passed. Whilst there was justification for such a measure due to the long session lengths, the Executive Council consisting of Tancred, Henry Godfrey Gouland,
Charles Simeon
Charles Simeon (24 September 1759 – 13 November 1836) was an English evangelical Anglican cleric.
Life and career
He was born at Reading, Berkshire, in 1759 and baptised at St Laurence's parish church on 24 October of that year. He was the ...
, and Hamilton regarded the matter as a vote of no confidence and resigned. He was a member of Tancred's second Executive Council (July 1855 – February 1857) and on the Executive led by Packer (February – June 1857). He retired at the end of his term as provincial councillor in July 1857 and did not seek re-election.
He was appointed resident magistrate of
Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...
in February 1856. When he left the customs service, he became receiver of land revenue. He retired in 1874. For some time, he was manager of the
Union Bank in Lyttelton. In 1861,
Charles Bowen sold his interest in the ''
Lyttelton Times
The ''Lyttelton Times'' was the first newspaper in Canterbury, New Zealand, publishing the first edition in January 1851. It was established by the Canterbury Association as part of its planned settlement of Canterbury and developed into a libera ...
'' to
William Reeves and Hamilton. He was a governor of
Christ's College, and was on the board of
Canterbury College Canterbury College may refer to:
* Canterbury College (Indiana), U.S.
* Canterbury College (Waterford), Queensland, Australia
* Canterbury College (Windsor, Ontario), Canada
* Canterbury College, Kent, England
* Canterbury College, Oxford, England ...
(1875–1883).
As a resident magistrate, he was widely respected for his fair dealings. His contribution to the provincial government was regarded as valuable, especially his understanding of finances. As a government official, he was perceived by William Ellison Burke, the avid recorder of Canterbury personalities in the 1850s and 1860s, as "crotchety official – a wearisome magistrate". Burke wrote:
Mr. H. was notoriously the most perfect embodiment of red tape who ever held office in Canterbury. His memos and questions upon documents were masterpieces and calculated to try the patience of the most saintly. As a magistrate he was a drawler and doubter and questioner who ever sat on the Bench of Christchurch. He had a supercilious style when he chose to be offensive and was very inquisitive.
Hamilton died on 6 December 1883 at his home in
Latimer Square
Latimer Square is an urban park in central Christchurch, New Zealand. It is located east of the city's centre, Cathedral Square. Many commemorative events take place in Latimer Square. The square lies between the major urban thoroughfares of Glo ...
.
Colleagues from the ''Lyttelton Times'' were pall bearers and carried the coffin from his home to
Barbadoes Street Cemetery
The Barbadoes Street Cemetery is the oldest cemetery in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was set up with three discrete areas for different denominations.
Description
The cemetery was included in the original survey of Christchurch that was carrie ...
. His wife died in 1889.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, William John Warburton
1825 births
1883 deaths
People educated at Harrow School
People from Lyttelton, New Zealand
People from Christchurch
Members of the Canterbury Provincial Council
Members of Canterbury provincial executive councils
Burials at Barbadoes Street Cemetery
19th-century New Zealand politicians
People from Little Chart