Death of Sir William Fitzherbert.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XVIII, Issue 5989, 9 February 1891, Page 2

Death of Sir William Fitzherbert.

» . . . Wellington, Saturday. Sir William Pitzherbert, K. C. M. G. , diec at his residence at Lower Hutt at 2.4( this morning. Thedeceasedgentleman, wh( was in his 82nd year, suffered frotx JBright's disease. Sir William was one of the earliest settlers of New Zealand, and has through out been identified in a prominent man ncr with its political history. He was a man of high intellectual attainments and octogenarian though he was, hin faculties remained bright and keen unti his recent illness, which had the effect o; making him deaf, and thus led to hi.' resignation of his high office. Sir Williarr Fitzherbert graduated as an M.A. o; Cambridge, where he was a Brown* University medallist, and was subse quently elected a Fellow of Queen'f College, Cambridge. After taking hit M.D. degree he practised for some time as i a physician in Hanover square, London In April, 1842, his attention was attracted to the young colony of New Zealand, ther being brought prominently before th< public by tho New Zealand Company, and abandoning tho medical profession, h< purchased and freighted a small vessel the Lady Leigh, for Wellington, intending to devote himself to trading pursuits Soon after his arrival Governor Hobsor placed him on the Magistracy, and offeree him a seat in the Legislative Council which ho declined, his time then bemj fully taken up by his business, whicl included whaling, a3 well as the genera business of a merchant trading to Englani and the Australian colonies. He be came a leading member of the Consti tutional Association, which, after clever years' agitation, succeeded in getting tho Constitution for the colony pro> claimed in 1853. He was Secretary anc Treasurer to the Provincial Conncil ol Wellington, and from 1871 to the abolitior of provinces in 1876 was Superintendenl of the Province. For many years h( represented Wellington City and after wards the FTutt district in the House oi Representatives. He was Colonia! Treasurer in the Weld Ministry, and ir 1866 performed a service of great importance to the colony. The Imperial Go vernment had preferred claims amounting to three-quarters of a million against the colony for the employment of British troops in the suppression of the Native war. Sir William Fitzherbert, who was Colonial Treasurer afc the time, went Home to England as Special Commissioner in reference to those claims, and after negotiations with the English Government, extending over several months, was successful in getting the whole amount remitted. In addition, he was able to arrange for the consolidation of the New Zealand loana upon advantageous terms. Sir William was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1876, and retired in 1879 to take the post of Speaker of the Legislative Council, which he hold up to very recently. He was created C.M.G. in 1872 and K. C.M.G. in 1877. His conduct in the chair was marked with great dignity as well as unvarying, courtesy, and his rulings on difficult points of procedure or constitutional law, which arose from time to time, were always most carefully considered and lucidly expressed. Sir William will be remembered as a courtly, highly educated gentleman of the old school, of whom there are several representatives among the earliest colonists, to whose influence wo are verj' largely indebted for the lofty tone which has with rare oxceptions characterised tho conduct of public business in this country.