William Crowther (1834 – 15 March 1900) was a

Mayor of Auckland The Mayor of Auckland is the directly elected head of the Auckland Council, the local government authority for the Auckland Region in New Zealand, which it controls as a unitary authority. The position exists since October 2010 after the amalga ...

and then Member of Parliament for

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, New Zealand. Crowther was Mayor of Auckland from 1891 to 1893, after serving as a city councillor for sixteen years. Crowther represented the

City of Auckland Auckland City was a territorial authority with city status covering the central isthmus of the urban area of Auckland, New Zealand. It was governed by the Auckland City Council from 1989 to 2010, and as a territory within the wider Auckland R ...

multi-member electorate first as a

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 ...

then independent conservative from

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 ...

to 1900, when he died of stomach cancer, aged 66. The resulting by-election on 27 April 1900 was hotly contested, and won by

Joseph Witheford Joseph Howard Witheford (1848 – 30 October 1931) was a Liberal Party Member of Parliament in Auckland, New Zealand. Biography He was born in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, England, in 1848. Witheford was elected to the City of Auckland ele ...

Businessman

William Crowther was born in

Slaithwaite Slaithwaite , locally ''Slawit'' (Old Norse: Timber-fell clearing), is a village within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it lies in the Colne Valley, lying acr ...

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

, in 1834. Aged nineteen, he migrated to

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

, and was a successful contractor on the goldfields for ten years. He was then attracted to

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 ...

by 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 – ...

to the Dunstan, and brought with him a number of teams of horses and waggons. He later moved to Auckland and founded a horse-drawn bus service between Auckland and

Remuera Remuera is an affluent inner city suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is located four kilometres southeast of the city centre. Remuera is characterised by many large houses, often Edwardian or mid 20th century. A prime example of a "leafy" sub ...

, based in the Victoria stables, Wellesley Street East, which he built.

Politician

As well as serving on the city council and as Mayor of Auckland, Mr. Crowther was also a member of the governing body of Auckland College and Grammar school, the

University College In a number of countries, a university college is a college institution that provides tertiary education but does not have full or independent university status. A university college is often part of a larger university. The precise usage varies ...

Council, the city schools' committee, the Charitable Aid Board, and Sailors' Home. For some years he was a member of the Harbour Board, and was chairman for a term. Crowther changed his allegiance from the Liberal Party to Independent before the 1896 election.

Death

Crowther died on 15 March 1900 and was buried at Purewa Cemetery in the Auckland suburb of Meadowbank.

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* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Crowther, William 1834 births 1900 deaths New Zealand Liberal Party MPs Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Mayors of Auckland New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates People from Slaithwaite British emigrants Immigrants to colonial Australia Immigrants to New Zealand 19th-century New Zealand politicians Auckland Harbour Board members Burials at Purewa Cemetery