George Morris (New Zealand politician)
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1876–1879 | 6th | East Coast | Independent | ||
| 1881–1884 | 8th | Tauranga | Independent | ||
| 1884–1885 | 9th | Tauranga | Independent | ||
George Betham Morris (1840 – 16 April 1903) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament from the Gisborne and Bay of Plenty regions of New Zealand.
He represented the East Coast electorate from 1876 (when he was declared elected on a petition) to 1879, when he was defeated.[1]
The 1881 election in the newly formed Tauranga electorate was hotly contested. Four candidates were nominated: Morris; William Kelly, who had also previously represented the East Coast electorate; George Vesey Stewart, then the owner of the Bay of Plenty Times; and Henry Thomas Rowe, a surveyor and commission agent.[2] Rowe announced his retirement from the contest on 6 December three days out from election day, urging his supporters to vote for Stewart instead.[3] The unofficial results were released the day after the election (Saturday, 10 December) and Morris had a majority of 13 votes over Stewart, with the official declaration to be made on 12 December.[4] This was deferred until 14 December, with Morris ahead by 10 votes.[5] Stewart stood for the Tauranga mayoralty a few months later and was elected the town's first mayor.[6]
He represented the Tauranga electorate until 1885, when he resigned.[1]
He was later a member of the Legislative Council, from 15 May 1885 to 16 April 1903, when he died.[7]
Notes
- ^ a b Wilson 1985, p. 221.
- ^ "Nomination of Candidates for the Tauranga Electorate". Bay of Plenty Times. Vol. X, no. 1152. 30 November 1881. p. 2. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
- ^ "The Bay of Plenty Times". Bay of Plenty Times. Vol. X, no. 1158. 7 December 1881. p. 2. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- ^ "The Bay of Plenty Times". Bay of Plenty Times. Vol. X, no. 1161. 10 December 1881. p. 2. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- ^ "Declaration of the Poll for the Tauranga Electorate". Bay of Plenty Times. Vol. X, no. 1164. 14 December 1881. p. 2. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
- ^ Rorke, Jinty. "George Vesey Stewart". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 159.
References
- Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
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