William Hunter Reynolds (1 May 1822 – 1 April 1899) was a 19th-century businessman and

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 ...

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 ...

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

region, New Zealand. He was a cabinet minister. He is the only person who held membership on the

Otago Provincial Council The Otago Province was a province of New Zealand until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. The capital of the province was Dunedin. Southland Province split from Otago in 1861, but became part of the province again in 1870. Area an ...

over the entire course of its existence (1853–1876), was Speaker of the council for three years, and was a member of the council's executive eight times.

Early life

Reynolds was involved in shipping by trade, initially in partnership with his brother-in-law

James Macandrew James Macandrew (1819(?) – 25 February 1887) was a New Zealand ship-owner and politician. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1853 to 1887 and as the last Superintendent of Otago Province. Early life Macandrew was born in Scotland, prob ...

who had married his sister Elizabeth Hunter Reynolds. Reynolds himself married Rachel Pinkerton in 1856 and they raised nine children together.

Political career

In the inaugural 1853 provincial council elections, Reynolds was one of six representatives for the Dunedin Country electorate in the

(1853–1855). In the 1855 election, he successfully stood for the Town of Dunedin electorate. He represented that electorate, from the third council named City of Dunedin, until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. He was Speaker of Otago Province from May 1857 to December 1870. Between 1854 and 1865, he was on the council's executive on eight occasions. He represented the

Dunedin and Suburbs South Dunedin and Suburbs South was a parliamentary electorate in the city of Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand from 1862 to 1866. From 1863 it was a multi-member electorate. History During the second session (from 7 July to 15 September 1862) of the 3 ...

electorate from 1863 to 1866, when the 3rd Parliament was dissolved. He then represented the City of Dunedin electorate in (resigned) and from to 1875. He then represented the

Port Chalmers Port Chalmers is a town serving as the main port of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. Port Chalmers lies ten kilometres inside Otago Harbour, some 15 kilometres northeast of Dunedin's city centre. History Early Māori settlement The origi ...

electorate (

was Dunedin's port) from

1876 Events January–March * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. * February 2 – The National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs i ...

to 1878, when he resigned. He was appointed to the

New Zealand Legislative Council The New Zealand Legislative Council was the upper house of the General Assembly of New Zealand between 1853 and 1951. An earlier arrangement of legislative councils for the colony and provinces existed from 1841 when New Zealand became a co ...

on 30 April 1878, and served until his death. In 1893 Reynolds was at the centre of a drama that led to the passing of the

Women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

bill into law. Premier Seddon had expected to stop the bill in the upper house, but found that one more vote was needed. Thomas Kelly, a new

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 ...

councillor had left himself paired in favour of the measure, but Seddon obtained his consent by wire to change his vote. Seddon's manipulation so incensed two opposition councillors, Reynolds and

Edward Cephas John Stevens Edward Cephas John Stevens (18 October 1837 – 6 June 1915) was a New Zealand politician in provincial government in Canterbury, and a member of both the lower and upper houses of parliament. A businessman, he controlled the Christchurch ...

that they changed sides and voted for the bill, allowing it to pass by 20 votes to 18 and so gave the vote to women.''Women's Suffrage in New Zealand'' by Patricia Grimshaw, p 92. (1972, Auckland University Press)

Notes

References

* * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, William 1822 births 1899 deaths Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand New Zealand businesspeople New Zealand MPs for Dunedin electorates Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council People from Port Chalmers 19th-century New Zealand politicians Colonial Secretaries of New Zealand Burials at Dunedin Southern Cemetery