William Jarvis Willis (1840 – 1 March 1884) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament in the Rangitikei region of New Zealand.

Biography

Willis was born in

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

, England, the son of Rev. Thomas Willis and his wife Maria Augusta Lowe. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

and then obtained a commission as ensign in the 14th Regiment. The regiment went to New Zealand in 1861 and he was Lieutenant and adjutant to the 2nd Battalion until the end of the war. He sold out in England and settled in New Zealand where he was appointed resident magistrate in

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service ...

. He took a farm at Marton adjoining the one of William Fox. Willis continued to act as Chairman of Petty Sessions for Rangitikei. During the confrontations with Maori, he was major in command of militia and volunteers in Rangitikei and Manawatu. He was appointed resident magistrate for the district in December 1863. In 1864 he purchased land near Marton which he called Woodendean. He soon introduced the first Romney sheep into the district. In 1879 Willis resigned from the bench to contest Rangitikei seat as supporter of

John Hall John Hall may refer to: Academics * John Hall (NYU President) (fl. c. 1890), American academic * John A. Hall (born 1949), sociology professor at McGill University, Montreal * John F. Hall (born 1951), professor of classics at Brigham Young Unive ...

. He defeated Charles Lendrick MacLean but because of poor health he resigned early in 1880. He was chairman of the Upper Rangitikei Highways board, a member of the Rangitikei County Council and in later years chairman of Porena, Marton and Paraekaretu licensing benches. Willis married Amelia Riddiford, daughter of early settlers Daniel and Harriet Riddiford. They had four daughters, but Amelia died in 1869 at the age of just 25. All four daughters married, and two of them had children. He wanted to marry her sister, but had to go to Australia to do so as it was then legal there but not in New Zealand. He had six children by his second marriage, of whom three sons and a daughter married and had children. Willis died at his family home of Woodendean, at

Greatford Greatford is a village and civil parish in the South Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated west from the A15, north-east from Stamford, and south from Bourne. Greatford is noted for Greatford Hall, once the home of ...

near Bulls in 1884, aged 44. He was buried at St Stephens Anglican Cemetery, Marton.William Jarvis Willis
" ''findagrave.com'', 24 August 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2018.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Willis, William 1840 births 1884 deaths People educated at Eton College New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives 19th-century New Zealand politicians People from Sussex People from Marton, New Zealand British emigrants to New Zealand Riddiford family