Alfred Saunders
Alfred Saunders (12 June 1820 – 28 October 1905) was a politician from New Zealand.[2]
Alfred Saunders | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 3rd Superintendent of Nelson Province | |
| In office March 1865 – 4 February 1867 | |
| Preceded by | John Perry Robinson |
| Succeeded by | Oswald Curtis |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 June 1820 |
| Died | 28 October 1905 (aged 85) |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse |
Rhoda Flower
(m. 1847; died 1898) |
| Children | ten, including Sarah Page |
| Relatives | Mary Bayly (sister) William Saunders (brother) Robert Page (grandson) Kae Miller (great-granddaughter) |
Early life and family
Saunders was born in 1820 in Market Lavington, the youngest son of Mary and Amram Saunders. He was educated in Market Lavington and at a Bristol academy.[1] The temperance campaigner Mary Bayly was his sister[3] and William Saunders (1823–1895) was a younger brother.[4]
He married Rhoda Flower in 1847.[1] They had ten children, including Sarah Page.[5] Rhoda died in 1898.[6]
Political career
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1861–1864 | 3rd | Waimea | Independent | ||
| 1878–1879 | 6th | Cheviot | Independent | ||
| 1879–1881 | 7th | Cheviot | Independent | ||
| 1889–1890 | 10th | Lincoln | Independent | ||
| 1890–1893 | 11th | Selwyn | Independent | ||
| 1893–1896 | 12th | Selwyn | Independent | ||
He was elected onto the Nelson Provincial Council representing Waimea South in 1855 and remained a councillor until his election of Superintendent for the Nelson Province from 1865 to 1867. He was elected as Member of Parliament for Waimea in 1861, and he resigned from this seat in 1864. He then represented Cheviot from 1878 to 1881 when he was defeated. He unsuccessfully contested the 1882 by-election in the Wakanui electorate. He contested the 1888 by-election in the Ashley electorate and was defeated by John Verrall by just two votes.[8]
From 1889 to 1890 he represented the Lincoln electorate and from 1890 to 1896 he represented Selwyn, being defeated at the general election of 1896 for the latter constituency.[9] He supported the Temperance Union petition in favour of woman's suffrage to Parliament in 1891.
Authorship
Alfred Saunders was an author and his published titles include;
- "History of New Zealand" a comprehensive two volume publication (550 pages.) 1896–99. Contains much on early NZ Governments. Available on line.
- "The Perfect Draft Horse" 1886
- "Tales of a Pioneer" published by his daughters, 1927. Also available on line
- "Our Domestic Birds" 1883
- "Our Horses" 1885.
References
- McGibbon, Ian. "Saunders, Alfred". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
- Cale, Michelle (23 September 2004), "Bayly [née Saunders], Mary (1816–1899), temperance activist and writer", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/50730, ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8, retrieved 19 May 2023
- "William Saunders – political firebrand". Market Lavington Museum. 19 April 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
- Bohan, Edmund. "Sarah Page". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
- "Rhoda Saunders". Geni.com. Retrieved 10 September 2023.
- "News and Notes". Papers Past (National Library of New Zealand ). 1899.
- "Ashley Election". The Press. Vol. XLV, no. 7132. 31 July 1888. p. 5. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
- "Mr. Alfred Saunders". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Canterbury Provincial District. Christchurch: The Cyclopedia Company Limited. 1903. Retrieved 14 April 2010.
Further reading
- Mennell, Philip (1892). . The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co – via Wikisource.