William Thomas Locke Travers (January 1819 – 23 April 1903) was a New Zealand lawyer, politician, explorer, and naturalist.

Early life

Travers was born near

Newcastle West Newcastle West () or simply Newcastle (''An Caisleán Nua'', formerly anglicized Castlenoe) is a town in west County Limerick, Ireland. It is the largest town in the county, excluding Limerick city, It is also the county town, and sits on the ...

County Limerick "Remember Limerick" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Limerick.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Munster , subdivision ...

, Ireland, either on 9 or 19 January 1819. His father chose to retire to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and Travers was consequently brought up there. He was educated in

Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Alli ...

, a town in

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...

. In 1835, he joined the British military, and was part of the

British Auxiliary Legion The British Auxiliary Legion, also called the British Legion (''La Legión Británica'') or Westminster Legion, existed from 1835 to 1837. It was a British military force sent to Spain to support the Liberals and Queen Isabella II of Spain against ...

that fought in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

First Carlist War The First Carlist War was a civil war in Spain from 1833 to 1840, the first of three Carlist Wars. It was fought between two factions over the succession to the throne and the nature of the Monarchy of Spain, Spanish monarchy: the conservative a ...

. After his military service ended, Travers became a

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 1849, he and his family moved to

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

, New Zealand, where he continued to practice law. Later, he also lived in

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 / ...

and

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 ...

. He purchased Englefield Lodge in Christchurch in 1866 and sold the property in 1872 to Edward Stevens.

Political career

Travers' political career covered both national and provincial politics. He was a member of the

1st New Zealand Parliament The 1st New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. It opened on 24 May 1854, following New Zealand's first general election (held the previous year). It was dissolved on 15 September 1855 in preparation for that year's ...

, representing first the Town of Nelson and then Waimea electorates, and served in the brief Forsaith Ministry formed by

Thomas Forsaith Thomas Spencer Forsaith, JP (18 July 1814 – 29 November 1898), was a New Zealand politician and an Auckland draper. According to some historians, he was the country's second premier, although a more conventional view states that neither he nor ...

. In the 1st Parliament, the Town of Nelson was a two member electorate. On nomination day on 25 July 1853, Travers and James Mackay were the only candidates put forward. They were thus declared elected unopposed. Parliament's first term started on 24 May 1854. Travers and William Cautley, MP for Waimea, both resigned on 26 May 1854. Travers subsequently contested the electorate that Cautley had vacated, being elected in the 21 June 1854 Waimea by-election. He was re-elected in the 1855 general election, but was disqualified on 26 July 1859. Travers returned in the 4th Parliament as representative for the City of Christchurch, after winning the 1867 by-election. He resigned on 29 July 1870 before the end of the term. He was a member of the 6th Parliament as representative for the City of Wellington, having won the 1877 by-election. He resigned on 25 January 1878. He also served in the councils of

Nelson Province Nelson Province was constituted in 1853 under the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852, and originally covered the entire upper South Island, including all of present-day Buller, Kaikoura, Marlborough, and Tasman districts, along with Nelson Ci ...

and

Canterbury Province 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 En ...

, and unsuccessfully stood for the superintendency of both. He stood as one of seven candidates for the Nelson Provincial Council in August 1853 in the Town of Nelson electorate, where five seats were elected. He came sixth and was thus not elected. He represented

in parliament from 1877 to 1881, but was not elected when he stood again in

1893 Events January–March * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * Mark Twain started writing Puddn'head Wilson. * January 6 – Th ...

. In Wellington he was City Solicitor, and was an advocate for the ''west coast railway'' in 1878. He subsequently became company solicitor to the

Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company The Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company (WMR or W&MR) was a private railway company that built, owned and operated the Wellington-Manawatu railway line between Thorndon in Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, and Longburn, near Palmers ...

which built the line north from Wellington to the Manawatu. His most significant political contribution was his campaign to make central government (rather than provincial government) responsible for education.

Author

Travers was a frequent contributor to scientific journals and was also the author of ''Stirring Times of

Te Rauparaha Te Rauparaha (c.1768 – 27 November 1849) was a Māori rangatira (chief) and war leader of the Ngāti Toa tribe who took a leading part in the Musket Wars, receiving the nickname "the Napoleon of the South". He was influential in the original ...

''.

Explorer, naturalist, photographer

At the same time, Travers was also an avid

explorer Exploration refers to the historical practice of discovering remote lands. It is studied by geographers and historians. Two major eras of exploration occurred in human history: one of convergence, and one of divergence. The first, covering most ...

and naturalist, often mounting expeditions into the less well known parts of New Zealand. He was responsible for tracing the source of the Waiau River, and gave the Ada River its name. He also collected many samples of mountain

grasses Poaceae () or Gramineae () is a large and nearly ubiquitous family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos and the grasses of natural grassland and species cultivated in lawns and ...

and

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

s, sending them to the

Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. An internationally important botanical research and education institution, it employs 1,100 ...

. Travers was also responsible for drafting the legislation that created the

Wellington Botanic Garden The Wellington Botanic Garden in Wellington, New Zealand covers 25 hectares of land on the side of the hill between Thorndon and Kelburn, near central Wellington. The garden features 25 hectares of protected native forest, conifers, plant c ...

, and was a Botanic Garden board member for 22 years.

Death and commemoration

Travers died in an accident at the

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. It is New Zealand's sixth most p ...

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

on 27 April 1903, when attempting to alight from a moving train. His funeral was held at Lower Hutt, and he was buried in the Bolton Street Cemetery, Wellington. His first wife Jane died in 1888 aged 67y, and he remarried to Theodora Leslie Barclay in 1891; she remarried to Colonel Edward Wood in 1905. So he left a widow (Theodora) from his second marriage, and a son

Henry Travers Travers John Heagerty (5 March 1874 – 18 October 1965), known professionally as Henry Travers, was an English film and stage character actor. His best known role was the guardian angel Clarence Odbody in the 1946 film ''It's a Wonderful Life' ...

) from his first marriage. His descendants settled in Marlborough. Mt Travers, the Travers Saddle in the Travers Range, the Travers River in the Travers Valley, Upper Travers Hut and the

Travers-Sabine Circuit The Travers-Sabine Circuit is a popular tramping route in Nelson Lakes National Park, New Zealand. The full circuit takes about five to six days, although many side-trips are possible for longer tramps. The circuit involves both bush-walking ...

Nelson Lakes National Park Nelson Lakes National Park is in the South Island of New Zealand, at the northern end of the Southern Alps. It was formed after the passing of the National Parks Act in 1952. It was created in 1956 (one of four created in the 1950s). The park co ...

are named after him, as is the Travers Room at the

Rainbow Ski Area Rainbow Ski Area is a ski resort in New Zealand's South Island. Located close to Saint Arnaud, the ski field is just across the regional boundary in Marlborough District Marlborough District or the Marlborough Region (, or ''Tauihu''), c ...

Notes

References

External links

Travers-Sabine Circuit
track description {{DEFAULTSORT:Travers, William Thomas Locke 1819 births 1903 deaths Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Members of the Canterbury Provincial Council 19th-century New Zealand lawyers New Zealand people of Irish descent Politicians from County Limerick British Auxiliary Legion personnel New Zealand MPs for Christchurch electorates Railway accident deaths in New Zealand Members of Canterbury provincial executive councils Unsuccessful candidates in the 1893 New Zealand general election Members of the Nelson Provincial Council 19th-century New Zealand politicians New Zealand writers Unsuccessful candidates in the 1866 New Zealand general election New Zealand naturalists