Christopher William Richmond (12 July 1821 – 3 August 1895), generally called William Richmond, was a 19th-century

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

politician. He held a number of

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 ...

positions between 1856 and 1861. He worked as a lawyer and was appointed a senior judge.

Early life

Richmond was probably 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 ...

on 12 July 1821. His father, Christopher Richmond, died when William Richmond was only ten years old, leaving William in the sole care of Maria (Lely) Wilson, his mother. He was raised in the Unitarian faith, and attended Unitarian schools. His health was always delicate, and he suffered from severe

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...

throughout his life. From 1841 to 1843, he was in

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, but in 1844, he began working in various law offices. He also developed a strong friendship with

Richard Holt Hutton Richard Holt Hutton (2 June 1826 – 9 September 1897) was an English journalist of literature and religion. Life and work The son of Joseph Hutton, a Unitarian minister, Richard Holt Hutton was born at Leeds. His family moved to London ...

, a writer and theologian who influenced his views considerably.

Emigration to New Zealand

Richmond became a practising

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

in 1847, but business was poor.

James Crowe Richmond James Crowe Richmond (22 September 1822 – 19 January 1898) was a New Zealand politician, engineer, and an early painter in watercolours of the New Zealand landscape. Early life Richmond was born in London, England, the son of Christopher Ric ...

and Henry Richmond, his two younger brothers, sought better fortunes in

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

, New Zealand, in 1850, and William Richmond considered joining them. On 15 September 1852, Richmond married Emily Elizabeth Atkinson, described by Joseph Hutton (father of Richmond's friend Richard Holt Hutton) as "a remarkable woman of singular intellectual power, moral earnestness and charming spontaneity of character". Shortly after their marriage, the two set out for New Zealand on the '' Sir Edward Paget'', being joined by his mother, his sister, and

Harry Harry may refer to: TV shows * ''Harry'' (American TV series), a 1987 American comedy series starring Alan Arkin * ''Harry'' (British TV series), a 1993 BBC drama that ran for two seasons * ''Harry'' (talk show), a 2016 American daytime talk show ...

and Arthur Atkinson (two brothers of Emily; Harry would later become

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

). In New Plymouth, Richmond re-established his law practice, and soon became a prominent member of the local community.

Political career

On 5 November 1855, he was elected to represent the Town of New Plymouth electorate in the

2nd New Zealand Parliament The 2nd New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament, Parliament of New Zealand. It opened on 15 April 1856, following New Zealand's 1855 New Zealand general election, 1855 election. It was dissolved on 5 November 1860 in prep ...

. When Edward Stafford formed a government on 2 June 1856, Richmond accepted an invitation to become Colonial Secretary (forerunner to the modern

Minister of Internal 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 ...

). When

Henry Sewell Henry Sewell (7 September 1807 – 14 May 1879) was a prominent 19th-century New Zealand politician. He was a notable campaigner for New Zealand self-government, and is generally regarded as having been the country's first premier (an office th ...

resigned, Richmond also became Colonial Treasurer (forerunner to the modern

Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

), although Sewell briefly resumed this post for two months in 1859. On 27 August 1858, he became New Zealand's first Minister for Native Affairs, but lost this post to

Frederick Weld Sir Frederick Aloysius Weld (9 May 1823 – 20 July 1891), was a New Zealand politician and a governor of various British colonies. He was the sixth premier of New Zealand, and later served as Governor of Western Australia, Governor of Tasman ...

in late 1860. He also served as Commissioner of Customs. Politically, Richmond aligned himself with the centralist faction, believing that the power of the provinces needed to be curtailed. Richmond also believed in the need to "reform"

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 ...

institutions and culture, being particularly adamant about the need to eliminate the ''beastly communism'' of common land ownership. Richmond generally had a very low opinion of Māori, considering them to be savages. He was confirmed at the 1860 general election, which was held on 28 November. After the Stafford government fell, Richmond did not remain in Parliament for long, and he resigned on 20 January 1862. He was succeeded by

Isaac Newton Watt Isaac Newton Watt (1821–1886) was a soldier, merchant and a Member of Parliament in Taranaki, New Zealand in the mid-to-late 19th century. Early life He was born in London sometime in 1821, the son of Isaac Watt the land surveyor and Susan ...

Legal career

He established a law practice in

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with

Thomas Gillies Thomas Bannatyne Gillies (17 January 1828 – 26 July 1889) was a 19th-century New Zealand lawyer, judge and politician. Early life He was born at Rothesay on the Isle of Bute, Scotland, on 17 January 1828. He was the eldest of nine children of ...

, a fellow MP. He was soon appointed to a post as a senior

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

, a role which he seemed to enjoy more than his former political career. In 1865, he turned down an invitation by Stafford to return to politics, despite a suggestion that he could become Premier. During the "Barton Affair" of 1876–78 he was a member of the court with Chief Justice James Prendergast who imprisoned lawyer

George Elliott Barton George Elliott Barton (20 May 1829 – 31 May 1903) was a 19th-century lawyer and practised as a barrister in Dublin (Ireland), Melbourne (Victoria), Dunedin & Wellington (New Zealand), Sydney (New South Wales). He was appointed a judge in Dunedin ...

for a month for contempt of court, a ruling that split the Wellington legal profession. Towards the end of his life, Richmond became increasingly conservative, condemning the

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 ...

's proposals for

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 ...

, a land tax, and an income tax.

Family and death

The Richmonds had five daughters and four sons. Their daughter Margaret married the surgeon

Walter Fell Walter Fell (28 March 1855 – 22 November 1932) was a New Zealand physician and surgeon. Early life and education Fell was born on 28 March 1855 at his parents' house Sunnyside in Nelson, New Zealand. His parents were Fanny () and Alfred Fell. ...

in 1886. Richmond 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 3 August 1895.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Richmond, William 1821 births 1895 deaths New Zealand finance ministers Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand People from New Plymouth Lawyers from Dunedin High Court of New Zealand judges English emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates Atkinson–Hursthouse–Richmond family Colony of New Zealand judges 19th-century New Zealand politicians Colonial Secretaries of New Zealand Politicians from Dunedin Fell family