William Joseph Napier (1857 – 28 November 1925) was 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 ...

Member of Parliament for City Auckland (1899–1902) in New Zealand.

Early life

Napier was born in Ireland and arrived in New Zealand when he was five years old. He was educated at St Peter's School,

Auckland Grammar School Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

and

St John's College, Auckland The College of St John the Evangelist or St Johns Theological College, is the residential theological college of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. The site at Meadowbank in Auckland is the base for theological educatio ...

Lawyer

Napier was a lawyer. He was called to the bar in New Zealand in 1883, and in

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

in 1886. In 1889 he became adviser to

Mata'afa Iosefo Mata'afa Iosefo (1832 – 6 February 1912) was a Paramount Chief of Samoa who was one of the three rival candidates for the kingship of Samoa during colonialism. He was also referred to as Tupua Malietoa To'oa Mata'afa Iosefo. He was crowned the K ...

, a ruler in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

. He was counsel to

Sir George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Go ...

until his death, and to

Te Kooti Te Kooti Arikirangi Te Turuki (c. 1832–1893) was a Māori leader, the founder of the Ringatū religion and guerrilla fighter. While fighting alongside government forces against the Hauhau in 1865, he was accused of spying. Exiled to the Cha ...

and

Rewi Maniapoto Rewi Manga Maniapoto (1807–1894) was a Ngāti Maniapoto chief who led Kīngitanga forces during the New Zealand government Invasion of Waikato during the New Zealand Wars. Kinship Rewi, or Manga as he was known to his kin, was the child of ...

. He also acted for

Malietoa Tanumafili I Susuga Malietoa Tanumafili I (1879 – 5 July 1939) was the Malietoa in Samoa from 1898 until his death in 1939. Personal and political life Tanumafili was born in 1880 to Malietoa Laupepa and Sisavai‘i Malupo Niuva‘ai. He attended the Lon ...

, another traditional ruler of Samoa, as well as the

Government of Tonga The politics of Tonga take place in a framework of a constitutional monarchy, whereby the King is the Head of State and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. Tonga's Prime Minister is currently appointed by the King from among the members ...

."Mr W J Napier" in "Auckland City and Suburban Members of the House of Representatives" ''The Cyclopedia of New Zealand'', The Cyclopedia Company Limited, Christchurch, 1902, Volume 2 Auckland, p. 7.

Politician

Napier contested the in the electorate. Of seven candidates, he came fifth. Napier was elected to the City of Auckland multi-member electorate in , but was defeated in . In 1901 he was chairman of the statutes revision committee. Napier was a member of the

Auckland Harbour Board The Auckland Harbour Board was a public body that operated the ports of both Auckland and Onehunga from 1871 to 1988 and was dissolved in 1989. Its successor organisation is Ports of Auckland, which assumed the possessions and responsibilities of ...

(1893–1907) and for a time chairman; a founder and president of the Navy League (1893–1907) and the

Victoria League The Victoria League for Commonwealth Friendship (1901–present) is a voluntary charitable organisation that connects people from Commonwealth countries. There are currently branches in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand with affiliated organisatio ...

in New Zealand and captain for nine years of the Devonport coastguard artillery. Napier contested the in the electorate, but was beaten by

Leonard Phillips Leonard Richard Phillips (1870–1947) was a Reform Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand. He was elected to the Waitemata electorate in the 1908 general election, but retired in 1911 A notable ongoing event was the Comparison ...

in the second ballot. He then contested the in the same electorate and won the first ballot, but was again beaten by Phillips in the second ballot.

Later life

Napier was elected a fellow of the North British Academy of Arts in 1910. Napier died at a private hospital in Auckland on 28 November 1925, and was survived by his wife and two sons. In 1914 he became the president of the Sunnyside Rugby League Football Club which played on the North Shore of Auckland before they merged with

North Shore Albions The North Shore Albions were a rugby league club based on the North Shore of Auckland in Devonport, New Zealand, Devonport before moving to Bayswater at a later time. They formed in 1909 and folded in the early 2000s due to a lack of playing nu ...

in 1920. At the 1915 annual general meeting he did not seek re-election. The former New Zealand Prime Minister,

Joseph Ward Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, (26 April 1856 – 8 July 1930) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 17th prime minister of New Zealand from 1906 to 1912 and from 1928 to 1930. He was a dominant figure in the Liberal and Unit ...

was appointed the club patron. He is buried at

Hillsborough Cemetery Hillsborough Cemetery is a large cemetery located in the Auckland isthmus suburb of Hillsborough. Location The cemetery lies on a ridge at the south of the Auckland isthmus, overlooking the Manukau Harbour. The cemetery is split in two by a l ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Napier, William Joseph 1857 births 1925 deaths New Zealand Liberal Party MPs 19th-century New Zealand lawyers People educated at St Peter's College, Auckland Irish emigrants (before 1923) to New Zealand Unsuccessful candidates in the 1890 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1902 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1908 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1911 New Zealand general election Burials at Hillsborough Cemetery, Auckland People educated at Auckland Grammar School 19th-century New Zealand politicians Auckland Harbour Board members