Charles Elliott (New Zealand politician)

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Charles Elliott
Charles Elliott of Nelson.jpg
Elliott (year unknown)
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Waimea
In office
5 Nov 1855 – 20 Mar 1858
Personal details
Born(1811-09-22)22 September 1811
Barnstaple, North Devon, England
Died5 July 1876(1876-07-05) (aged 64)
Nelson, New Zealand
Political partyIndependent

Charles Elliott (22 September 1811 – 5 July 1876) was a New Zealand politician and newspaper proprietor.[1]

Commercial career[]

Elliott was born in Barnstaple in North Devon in 1811.[2] He and his brother James came to New Zealand on the Mary Jane; the ship left the West India Docks in London in September 1841 and arrived in on 10 February 1842.[3][4] Having brought a printing press with him,[5] Elliott established The Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle in 1842; this was the first newspaper in the South Island.[1] In August 1842, he opened a bookshop in Nelson, one of the first in New Zealand.[6] He held a sheep station in the Awatere Valley.[7] He was particularly interested in horse racing and wrote for other publications under the pen name "Cheval".[5] He published texts written by the suffragist Mary Müller, to whom he was related through marriage, in his newspaper.[8]

Political career[]

Elliott was elected to the first Nelson Provincial Council for the Wairau electorate and held the post from 10 August 1853 to 1 August 1857, and represented the electorate in the second council from 9 October 1857 to 18 October 1859. He then represented the Amuri electorate from 7 April 1860 to 29 November 1861. He lastly represented the Nelson electorate from 23 February 1863 to 27 March 1865.[9] In parallel, he represented the Awatere electorate in the Marlborough Provincial Council from 16 April 1860 to 16 October 1861.[10]

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate Party
1855–1858 2nd Waimea Independent

On 5 November 1855, Elliott—alongside William Travers—was elected unopposed to represent the Waimea electorate in the 2nd New Zealand Parliament.[11] Elliott resigned before the end of his term on 20 March 1858. He did not serve in any subsequent Parliaments,[12] although he stood unsuccessfully in the 1873 by-election for the Suburbs of Nelson.[13]

Later life[]

Elliott's newspaper had to be shut down in 1874. He subsequently took on the role of immigration officer for Nelson Province. He died on 5 July 1876 in Nelson from a stroke.[5] Elliott Street, and the Elliott Street heritage precinct (which also comprises parts of Trafalgar and Collingwood streets) was named after him.[14]

Notes[]

  1. ^ a b "Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle". PapersPast. Retrieved 18 June 2010.
  2. ^ "Charles Elliott". Find a Grave. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  3. ^ Scholefield 1940, p. 229.
  4. ^ "List of ships which have entered Nelson Haven". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. Vol. I, no. 1. 12 March 1842. p. 4. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "Sudden death of Mr. Chas. Elliott". Nelson Evening Mail. Vol. XI, no. 166. 5 July 1876. p. 2. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  6. ^ Harwood, Nicola. "Literary Nelson – books and newspapers". The Prow. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  7. ^ Scholefield 1940, pp. 229f.
  8. ^ Dalziel, Raewyn. "Müller, Mary Anne". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  9. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 212.
  10. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 206.
  11. ^ "Election of members to represent the Waimea districts". Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle. Vol. XIV. 7 November 1855. p. 2. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
  12. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 274.
  13. ^ "Suburbs election". Nelson Evening Mail. Vol. VIII, no. 115. 14 May 1863. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  14. ^ Bathgate, Janet. "Elliott Street heritage precinct". The Prow. Retrieved 12 January 2020.

References[]

New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Waimea
1855–1858
Served alongside: William Travers 		Succeeded by
David Monro
Retrieved from ""