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William Crowther (New Zealand politician)

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William Crowther
Cartoon of William Crowther as parliamentarian
A parliamentary sketch of "Hard to drive" William Crowther
17th Mayor of Auckland City
In office
1891–1893
Preceded byJohn Upton
Succeeded byJames Job Holland
12th MP for City of Auckland
In office
1893–1900
Preceded byJohn Shera
Succeeded byJoseph Witheford
Personal details
Born1830 (1830)
Slaithwaite, West Riding of Yorkshire, England
DiedMarch 1900 (aged 65–66)
Auckland, New Zealand
Nationality New Zealand
Political partyNew Zealand Liberal Party
Other political
affiliations		Independent
SpouseGeorgina Stafford
OccupationOwner of livery stables; Horse-bus operator; politician
Known forMayor of Auckland City

William Crowther (1834 – 15 March 1900) was a Mayor of Auckland and then Member of Parliament for Auckland, New Zealand.

Crowther was Mayor of Auckland from 1891 to 1893, after serving as a city councillor for sixteen years.[1]

Crowther represented the City of Auckland multi-member electorate first as a Liberal Party then independent conservative from 1893 to 1900, when he died of stomach cancer, aged 66.[2][3] The resulting by-election on 27 April 1900 was hotly contested,[4] and won by Joseph Witheford.[5]

Businessman

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William Crowther was born in Slaithwaite, West Riding of Yorkshire, in 1834. Aged nineteen, he migrated to Victoria, and was a successful contractor on the goldfields for ten years. He was then attracted to Otago by the Otago gold rush 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, based in the Victoria stables, Wellesley Street East, which he built.[6]

Politician

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in which Mr Crowther, M.H.R., showed how cleverly he could balance himself on the almost invisible line dividing the conflicting parties (1895)

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 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.[3][7]

Crowther changed his allegiance from the Liberal Party to Independent before the 1896 election.

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate Party
1893–1896 12th City of Auckland Liberal
1896–1899 13th City of Auckland Independent
1899–1900 14th City of Auckland Independent

Death

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Crowther died on 15 March 1900[6] and was buried at Purewa Cemetery in the Auckland suburb of Meadowbank.[8]

Notes

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  1. ^ The Cyclopedia Company, Limited, p. 124, Ex-Mayors.
  2. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 102.
  3. ^ a b "Death of Mr Crowther, M.H.R." Poverty Bay Herald. Vol. XXVII, no. 8777. 16 March 1900. p. 2. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  4. ^ "They Say". Observer. Vol. XX, no. 1108. National Library of New Zealand. Papers Past. 24 March 1900. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  5. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 148.
  6. ^ a b "Death". Auckland Star. 15 March 1900 – via Papers Past.
  7. ^ "The late Mr W Crowther: An Honest Politician and a Sterling Citizen". Observer. Vol. XX, no. 1108. 24 March 1900. p. 8. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  8. ^ "Notable graves". Purewa Trust Board. Retrieved 15 February 2021.

References

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Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Auckland City
1891–1893 		Succeeded by
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Member of Parliament for City of Auckland
1893–1900
Served alongside: Charles Button, George Grey, James Job Holland, George Fowlds, Thomas Thompson 		Succeeded by
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