William McLean (1845 – 25 August 1914) was a 19th-century

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 ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

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 ...

, New Zealand.

Early life

McLean was born in

Grantown Grantown-on-Spey ( gd, Baile nan Granndach) is a town in the Highland Council Area, historically within the county of Moray. It is located on a low plateau at Freuchie beside the river Spey at the northern edge of the Cairngorm mountains, about ...

, Scotland, in 1845, the youngest son of John McLean, a shoemaker. He was adopted by a parish priest at an early age. Aged 13, he moved to

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough ...

to work as a cotton spinner. His employer suspended operations in 1863 in the

Lancashire Cotton Famine The Lancashire Cotton Famine, also known as the Cotton Famine or the Cotton Panic (1861–65), was a depression in the textile industry of North West England, brought about by overproduction in a time of contracting world markets. It coincided wi ...

caused by the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, and McLean emigrated to New Zealand for the

Otago Gold Rush The Otago Gold Rush (often called the Central Otago Gold Rush) was a gold rush that occurred during the 1860s in Central Otago, New Zealand. This was the country's biggest gold strike, and led to a rapid influx of foreign miners to the area – ...

Life in New Zealand

He arrived in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

on the ''Dauntless'' and went to the gold fields in

Central Otago Central Otago is located in the inland part of the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. The motto for the area is "A World of Difference". The area is dominated by mountain ranges and the upper reaches of the Clutha River and tributa ...

. He was successful and could open a store in the Bread and Water gully. When word of the

West Coast Gold Rush The West Coast Gold Rush, on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, lasted from 1864 to 1867. Description The gold rush populated the area, which up until then had been visited by few Europeans. Gold was found near the Taramakau River in ...

arrived, he went to

Hokitika Hokitika is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island, south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. It is the seat and largest town in the Westland District. The town's estimated population is as of . ...

at once. He broke his arm digging at

Lake Kaniere Lake Kaniere is a glacial lake located on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, nearly 200 m deep and surrounded on three sides by mountains and mature rimu forest. It is regarded by many as the most beautiful of the West Coast lakes, and ...

and had to go to

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 / ...

for medical treatment, as there were no doctors on the West Coast yet. He returned to the West Coast, and then back to Central Otago, before settling in

Reefton Reefton is a small town in the West Coast region of New Zealand, some 80 km northeast of Greymouth, in the Inangahua River valley. Ahaura is 44 km south-west of Reefton, Inangahua Junction is 34 km to the north, Maruia is 63 ...

. For a time, he was a schoolmaster on the West Coast. He erected the second gold mining plant in Reefton, and became an auctioneer and a mining and commission agent. On 20 April 1877, McLean married Mary Elizabeth Crumpton, the daughter of Thomas Crumpton. The Crumptons were from

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...

on the West Coast. He moved to

in 1884, where he was an auctioneer at first. For a few years following, he was secretary for the Wellington Loan Company, and afterwards secretary for the Empire Loan and Discount Company.

Political career

McLean was one of three candidates in the Inangahua electorate in the , but came last with just 3% of the vote. McLean contested the electorate in the , but was beaten by

Alfred Newman Alfred Newman (March 17, 1900 – February 17, 1970) was an American composer, arranger, and conductor of film music. From his start as a music prodigy, he came to be regarded as a respected figure in the history of film music. He won nine Acad ...

. He unsuccessfully contested the three-member electorate in the , where he came seventh. He represented the

City of Wellington Wellington City Council is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the country's capital city Wellington, and ''de facto'' second-largest city (if the commonly considered parts of Wellington, ...

electorate from an 1892 by-election to the 1893 general election, when he was defeated. In 1892, he narrowly defeated the later Prime Minister

Francis Bell Francis Bell may refer to: * Arthur Bell (martyr) (1590–1643), also known as Francis Bell, Franciscan and English martyr *Dillon Bell (Francis Dillon Bell; 1822–1898), New Zealand politician, father of the New Zealand Prime Minister * Francis B ...

by 3388 votes to 3245. McLean contested the electorate in the and came a very close second to John Aitken, with just 19 votes (0.32%) between them. He contested the Wellington East electorate again in , but the Liberal vote was split by another Liberal candidate, George Winder. In the first ballot, both Liberal candidates were eliminated. This left the

Independent Political Labour League The Independent Political Labour League (IPLL) was a small New Zealand political party. It was the second organised political party to win a seat in the New Zealand House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and was a forerunner of the m ...

(IPLL) candidate,

David McLaren David McLaren may refer to: * David McLaren (colonial manager) (1785–1850), colonial manager (CEO) of the colony of South Australia (1837–1841) * David McLaren (politician) David McLaren (1872 – 3 November 1939) was a Mayor of Wellington ...

, face a conservative candidate and with many Liberal voters transferring their allegiance to McLaren, he became the only candidate of the IPLL who was ever elected to the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

Later life

In 1898, McLean imported two Benz cars from Paris; they were believed to be the first motor vehicles in New Zealand. Parliament passed the McLean Motor-car Act, setting out the rules under which McLean and others could operate cars. McLean was one of the promoters of the

Wellington Opera House The Opera House is a proscenium theatre in Wellington, New Zealand, located on Manners Street opposite Te Aro Park. History The present Opera House replaced earlier buildings on Manners Street. The Imperial Opera House opened in 1878, but bur ...

. For some years, he was secretary of the company that owned the Opera House. He believed in oil being available in commercially viable quantities in

Taranaki Taranaki is a region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano of Mount Taranaki, also known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the city of New Plymouth. The New Plymouth Dist ...

, and went to America to purchase a plant for oil extraction. It was many decades later before viable quantities were found. McLean's wife died on 30 January 1904. William McLean died on 25 August 1914 at Nurse Major's Private Hospital in Wellington. He was survived by two sons and three daughters. He is buried at

Karori Cemetery Karori Cemetery is New Zealand's second largest cemetery, located in the Wellington suburb of Karori. History Karori Cemetery opened in 1891 to address overcrowding at Bolton Street Cemetery. In 1909, it received New Zealand's first cremato ...

, and other family member who share the same plot (38 G) include his wife, his son Sydney, a daughter in law, and grandchildren.

References

External links

Photo of one of McLean's cars
later owned and driven by

William Henry Peter Barber William Henry Peter Barber (10 September 1857 – 15 January 1943) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for Newtown in Wellington. Early life and family Born in Wellington in 1857, Barber was educated at St Peter's School. He began work in ...

The McLean Motor-car Act, 1898
providing the legislation that allowed McLean and others to operate cars on roads {{DEFAULTSORT:McLean, William 1845 births 1914 deaths New Zealand Liberal Party MPs Burials at Karori Cemetery Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for Wellington electorates Unsuccessful candidates in the 1881 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1887 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1890 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1893 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1905 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1908 New Zealand general election 19th-century New Zealand politicians