OBITUARY. DEATH OF SIR P. A. BUCKLEY. Wellington, May 18.

Otago Witness, Issue 2203, 21 May 1896, Page 19

OBITUARY. DEATH OF SIR P. A. BUCKLEY. Wellington, May 18.

Justice Sir Patrick Buckley died At hia rcsi* denc«i Lower Hatt, this afternoon. For some tima past the deceased gentleman had been ailing in health, and a few weeks ago, acting on the in« struotion of his msdic«l adviser, he gave up (tempo.arily, it was thought) hU dutiason tho Supreme Cjurt bench in ordVr to secure resti and medical treatment. Afc flr.t he rallied and daily improved in he»lth, but a couple of day's ago he was taken worse, ond, gradually sinking, he passed away afc 3 40 this atVrnoon. Lady Buckley, the Prexnior, tbe Colonial Tiossurer, the Miuis'^r for Lauds, the Rev. Father Djyoy, tbe Rev. T)e Waiters, the Rer. Father Lane, and Mr W. A. Fitzherbert (brothec-in-law) were at the bednda. Bir Patrick was suffering from' heart trouble originally -and then acute pneumonia intervened, and as he was too weak to withstand its eff<-6tg it carried him off. When on his las6' ' Supreme Court circuit in the Marlborough and Nelson districts Sir Patrick was none too well, < and the rauph pansage on hit return from Bknheirn to Wellington affected htm seriously.

Sir Patrick Alphousus Buckley w»s born n?ar Cjstle Townuendi in County Cork, in 184-1. His fi-sfc start in life was in the je»r I860; when he took service jn the small Irish brig*de v which formed part of 'the army with which General Lamorioiere strove 1o stem the Pitdmontese attack ob the States of the Church. Taken prisoner ut the fall of Aneoun, ho soon found himself back in his own country, the object of much honour. Emigrating to Queensland, he studied for tbe bar under th« supervision of Sir Chirks Lilley, the late Chief Justice of that colony, hat after & thort residence in Q'lfensland he nettled in JNew Zealand, and, hnving been admitted to the rnnka of the legal -practitioner*, commenced pratt'ee in Wellington in -partnership with the late Mr Robert Hart, -the name of the firm for many years being the -wtll-hnown one of Hart and Buckley. Sub-icqnenvly, upon Mr Hatt retiring, Sir Patrick was joined by Mr Edward Stafford, and the title of the firm became Buckley and Ftifford, while Btill mire recently it was enlarged to Buckley, Stafford, and Treadwell. Shortly after his arrival in Wellington Sir Patriot entered into itfilitiaal life, hi- i off elected a member of the * Provincial . Cuuucil, and taking oflise in the Executive as Provincial Solicitor. He was called to the Legislative in 1878, and in September 1884 became Colonial Secretary in the S'outVogel Administration, and leader of the Upper House. He robived 'with his colleagues ia^Bß7. In .TKnuary 1891, on the defeat of the Atkinson Govern merit, Sir Patrick joined the Billanca Administration as "Atlon-.ey- general, and resumed the leadership of the Legislative Council with ths portfolio of At omey-jjrneral and Colonial Secretary. On May 25, 1892, he was gazetted K.tfhffl G. L*»t December Sir Patrick resigned from the Gov.srarnent and from the Legislative Council npon hit acceptance of the position of a judge t>f "the Supreme Court in BncceE»ion to the late Mr Ja*tiO3 Richmond, but bis health broke down after be haS presided at a couple of «essiohfl. 'He was married to tha only daughter of the late Sir- William Fitzherbeirt, and bis wife survives him, but there is no family. He was a prominent member of the Roman Catholic cjmniuuity iv the colony, .and at one time he took an active interest in the vo'unt'-er movement, using for six years captain of the present D Battery in Wellington, which was raised by himself.