Sir William Russell Russell (12 November 1838 – 24 September 1913) was a New Zealand politician from 1870 to 1905. He was a cabinet minister, and was recognised as Leader of the Opposition from 1894 to 1901. Though considered by other politicians to have little sympathy with working people as a major landowner his panache and involvement in local affairs led him to be liked and admired by Hawkes Bay's élite.

Biography

Early life and career

Russell was born in Sandhurst, Berkshire

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and educated at the

Royal Military College, Sandhurst The Royal Military College (RMC), founded in 1801 and established in 1802 at Great Marlow and High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, England, but moved in October 1812 to Sandhurst, Berkshire, was a British Army military academy for training infant ...

. His father Andrew Russell was in the

58th Regiment of Foot The 58th (Rutlandshire) Regiment of Foot was a British Army line infantry regiment, raised in 1755. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 48th (Northamptonshire) Regiment of Foot to form the Northamptonshire Regiment in 1881. Hist ...

, and Russell came with him to New Zealand in the 1840s. He then joined the 58th Regiment, and came to New Zealand as an ensign in 1857. He transferred to the 14th Regiment of Foot and came out to Auckland in 1861, serving until 1862. In 1862 he sold his Captain's commission to settle in Hawkes Bay taking up with his

brother A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...

31,000 acres of rolling hill country 25 miles west of Napier in Tunanui, part of it later known as Sherenden. In Hawkes Bay Russell became involved in civic affairs and became renown for his capability as an administrator. He was to serve on a multitude of local bodies, including the Hawke's Bay County Council, Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, Education Board, Waste Land Board, and Rabbit Board. In addition he was a governor of the Napier High Schools' Board.

Member of Parliament

Russell was a member of the Hawke's Bay Provincial Council from 1870 until the abolition of the provinces in 1876. He won the election for the Napier electorate in the

New Zealand Parliament The New Zealand Parliament ( mi, Pāremata Aotearoa) is the unicameral legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the King of New Zealand (King-in-Parliament) and the New Zealand House of Representatives. The King is usually represented by hi ...

on 30 December 1875 in the 1875 general election, and was re-elected on 8 September 1879 in the 1879 general election. In 1881 after an electorate redistribution, he was defeated by Fred Sutton for the Hawke's Bay electorate. He won the seat on 22 July 1884 in the 1884 general election, and held it until he was defeated by

Alfred Dillon Alfred Dillon (1841 – 13 November 1915) was a Liberal Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand. Historian David Hamer remarked that Dillon was the prime example of a " Seddonian" Liberal politician, due to humble, rustic background and appeal ...

in 1905.

Cabinet Minister

He was a Minister (

Postmaster-General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having a government official responsible ...

) in the short-lived Fourth Atkinson ministry of 1884; which lasted only six (or fourteen) days. In 1887 he joined the Fifth (and last) Atkinson ministry, initially as a Minister without Portfolio before becoming Colonial Secretary,

Minister of Defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

and

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

from 1889. He represented the New Zealand government at the Federation Conference in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

in 1890, and later at the Australian National Convention in Sydney in 1892.

Leader of the Opposition

When the Liberal government of

John Ballance John Ballance (27 March 1839 – 27 April 1893) was an Irish-born New Zealand politician who was the 14th premier of New Zealand, from January 1891 to April 1893, the founder of the Liberal Party (the country's first organised political part ...

came to power in 1890, the Opposition had not yet coalesced into a truly formal party. Russell was recognised as Leader of the Opposition from 1894 to 1901. Noted for his courtesy, honesty and consideration, Russell was at times completely overwhelmed by Prime Minister

Richard Seddon Richard John Seddon (22 June 1845 – 10 June 1906) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 15th premier (prime minister) of New Zealand from 1893 until his death. In office for thirteen years, he is to date New Zealand's longest-se ...

in the cut and thrust of parliamentary debate. Even members of his own party acknowledged his nature was ill-suited to parliamentary brawls. In June 1900, following defeat at the 1899 general election, the opposition strength fell considerably. The conservative MPs could not agree on a new leader upon holding their first caucus of the session. However, Seddon still continued to address Russell as their leader until July 1901. For over two years the conservatives were virtually leaderless, although chief whip

William Massey William Ferguson Massey (26 March 1856 – 10 May 1925), commonly known as Bill Massey, was a politician who served as the 19th prime minister of New Zealand from May 1912 to May 1925. He was the founding leader of the Reform Party, New Zea ...

often informally filled the role and eventually succeeded Russell as leader in September 1903. After Massey became Prime Minister in 1912 he later appointed Russell to the Legislative Council on 26 June 1913. He died at Napier soon after on 24 September 1913. Many years later his son Harold Russell was also appointed a member of the Legislative Council, serving from 1934 to 1938.

Personal life

He married Miss Harriette Julia Hodgskin of Cawley Priory, Sussex, England, in 1867. They had eleven children, four daughters and seven sons. One son, Second Lieutenant Lionel Philip Russell, of the Second Battalion, Prince of Wale's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) was attached to the 14th Mounted Infantry in the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

. He died aged 24 of the wounds he had received in Holland (19 December 1901). Another son, Captain Walter Russell 'Dick' Russell of the Northamptonshire Regiment, 2nd Battalion, attached to 1st Battalion, was killed in action on 23 October 1914 in France aged 33. He lived on his estate Flaxmere near

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

. He also owned Tunanui Station which he had bought with his brother near Napier. When the partnership expired he retained the Flaxmere and Sherenden estates. A sports lover, he was President of the New Zealand Jockey Club. Russell also bred and raced his own horses. In recognition of his long service, he was made a

knight bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are th ...

on 14 August 1902, after the honour had been announced in the

1902 Coronation Honours The 1902 Coronation Honours were announced on 26 June 1902, the date originally set for the coronation of King Edward VII. The coronation was postponed because the King had been taken ill two days before, but he ordered that the honours list shou ...

list published on 26 June 1902. As was the custom until the first quarter of the 20th century he continued to use his military rank of '' captain'' until he was knighted. His full name according to electoral rolls and the

Cyclopedia of New Zealand ''The Cyclopedia of New Zealand: industrial, descriptive, historical, biographical facts, figures, illustrations'' was an encyclopaedia published in New Zealand between 1897 and 1908 by the Cyclopedia Company Ltd. Arthur McKee was one of the origi ...

was Captain the

Hon. ''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific Style (ma ...

William Russell Russell, then Sir William Russell Russell, i.e. Russell was his middle name and also his surname. His knighthood is the only such time in New Zealand history where the incumbent Prime Minister has recommended a Leader of the Opposition for such an honour.

Notes

References

* *

The Cyclopedia of New Zealand ''The Cyclopedia of New Zealand: industrial, descriptive, historical, biographical facts, figures, illustrations'' was an encyclopaedia published in New Zealand between 1897 and 1908 by the Cyclopedia Company Ltd. Arthur McKee was one of the orig ...

, Volume 1 part 1 (1897); Wellington: pages 105-106 (photo page 106) *

, Volume 6 (1908); Taranaki, Hawke's Bay & Wellington Province: pages 301-302 (photo page 302) , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Russell, William 1838 births 1913 deaths 58th Regiment of Foot officers Members of the Hawke's Bay Provincial Council Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council New Zealand defence ministers New Zealand farmers Military personnel from Berkshire New Zealand Knights Bachelor People from the Hawke's Bay Region West Yorkshire Regiment officers Leaders of the Opposition (New Zealand) Graduates of the Royal Military College, Sandhurst Unsuccessful candidates in the 1881 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1905 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1908 New Zealand general election New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates English emigrants to New Zealand People from Sandhurst, Berkshire Colonial Secretaries of New Zealand 19th-century New Zealand politicians New Zealand politicians awarded knighthoods Justice ministers of New Zealand