THE L.V. PORTRAIT GALLERY.

New Zealand Illustrated Sporting & Dramatic Review, Volume VIII, Issue 370, 26 August 1897, Page 12

THE L.V. PORTRAIT GALLERY.

The subject of our Trade portrait in this issue is Mr Thos. Foley, the proprietor of the Shakespeare Hotel, Wyndham Street, Auckland. Mr Foley is a native of this colony, and he occupies a somewhat unique position, as he was born in the house of which he is the present proprietor. The Shakespeare was at the time of Mr Foley’s birth —like most hotels at that period in New Zealand—a small wooden building, but the license has been attached to the Shakespeare continuously up to the present time, and the building is now a substantial structure, built of bricks and mortar. At an early age Mr Foley left the City of Auckland, and with his father resided for a considerable time in the settlement of Otahuhu, where Mr Foley, sen., owned a large area of agricultural and pastoral country, together with what was then the Commercial Hotel, which was leased to. i the late Mr T. Rogers. For a long time subsequent to Mr Rogers’ retirement from the Commercial Hotel it was closed, but was afterwards re-opened under the denomination of the Star. After a few years’ residence in Otahuhu the Maori War. broke out, and Mr Foley, senior, became. a contractor under the Government for supplying the troops, and his operations in this particular extended over areas covered by Miranda (near Thames) to Maketu and Tauranga, on the East Coast of the Auckland Provincial District, and as a boy the subject of our remarks went through all the vicissitude of the terrible times associated with the campaign, and was present in Tauranga when the great historical fight took place at the Gate Pah. He was also in the vicinity when the fight took place at Te Ranga, which resulted so disastrously to the Maoris. After the practical termination of hostilities between the two races in the vicinity of Tauranga, Mr Foley, senior, returned to Otahuhu, and took possession of the Star Hotel, Mr Thos. Foley residing with him j but the latter subsequently went to Katikati, on the East Coast, where he remained for about two years as a pioneer settler. Returning to Auckland he married a school mate—Miss Lundon — and took possession of the hostelry he now occupies, where he remained for twelve months, and then sold his interest. After this he became a partner in the large livery and bait stables, previously the property of Mr Frank Quick, late of Cobb and Co. Disposing of his business in the stables he became the proprietor of the Bricklayers Arms Hotel, Chapel Street, and speedily increased the trade of that house tenfold. When he sold out the Bricklayers, Mr Foley became the licensee of the Criterion Hotel, Otahuhu, which, after a time, he gave up in order to regain possession of his present abode, the Shakespeare, where he has successfully carried on business for the past ten years. It will thus be seen that for a comparatively young man Mr Foley has had an interesting experience in various phases of colonial life, and he prides himself that he has not had a single police complaint in any of the hotels he has conducted. Mr Foley is a thoroughly patriotic New Zealander and is one of the founders of the New Zealand Native Association, being at present a member of the executive committee of that body, which now number close on 700 young New Zea-land-born males over 18 years of age. Mr Foley is an enthusiast in all national sports, a patron of the Turf, an enthusiast in cricket —always having been a player for the Trade —is president of one football club and vice-president of the City District Football Club, vice-president of the Waitemata Rowing Club, and has always been a member of the Trade committee in Auckland. In local and general politics Mr Foley has always been characterised for ardency, and in both cases he has supported the party whose programme was liberalism, coupled with progress, and he has generally been on the side of victory.