Edward Jerningham Wakefield
Encyclopedia
Edward Jerningham Wakefield (25 June 1820 - 3 March 1879) was the only son of Edward Gibbon Wakefield
. He was born in London, and educated in England
and France
.
In 1839 he accompanied his uncle, Colonel William Wakefield
to New Zealand
on the New Zealand Company
ship Tory. This expedition was an advance party seeking a suitable site to found a colony in the Cook Strait
area.
Edward Jerningham Wakefield had intended to stay in New Zealand for only a few months but he found the growth of the new colony so fascinating that it was four years before he returned to England in 1844. He quickly assembled his journals and they were published as "Adventures in New Zealand" in April 1845. The favourable picture he presented of the colony founded by the New Zealand Company helped the Company to avoid censure in the House of Commons.
For the next five years Edward Jerningham Wakefield lived a dissipated life in London. In September 1845 he attended a lecture at the Royal Adelaide Gallery in London by the tattooed Pākehā Māori
, Barnet Burns
, who had previously applied without success to join the New Zealand Company on the Tory. Then, in 1850, faced with bankruptcy, Edward Jerningham sailed for New Zealand once again, this time with the advance party for the Canterbury Settlement.
He entered politics, in New Zealand's 1st Parliament
, as one of the two members for Christchurch Country for 1853-55; and was a member of the 5th Parliament
for Christchurch City East for 1871-75. He moved to Wellington in 1855 to be near his sick father, and represented the City of Wellington in the Provincial Council
from 1857 to 1861.
However because of his increasing alcoholism his behaviour was very erratic and he was an embarrassment to his supporters. He was one of the MPs sometimes locked in small rooms at Parliament by Whips to keep them sober enough to vote in critical divisions, though in 1872 this was defeated when political opponents lowered a bottle of whisky down the chimney to him. Gradually over the next few years he dissipated his wealth and substance and destroyed his health.
He died, penniless, in Ashburton, New Zealand
in 1879.
Edward Gibbon Wakefield
Edward Gibbon Wakefield was a British politician, the driving force behind much of the early colonisation of South Australia, and later New Zealand....
. He was born in London, and educated in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
In 1839 he accompanied his uncle, Colonel William Wakefield
William Wakefield
William Hayward Wakefield was an English colonel, the leader of the first colonizing expedition to New Zealand and one of the founders of Wellington. In 1826, he married Emily Sidney, a daughter of Sir John Sidney.-Early life:...
to New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
on the New Zealand Company
New Zealand Company
The New Zealand Company originated in London in 1837 as the New Zealand Association with the aim of promoting the "systematic" colonisation of New Zealand. The association, and later the company, intended to follow the colonising principles of Edward Gibbon Wakefield, who envisaged the creation of...
ship Tory. This expedition was an advance party seeking a suitable site to found a colony in the Cook Strait
Cook Strait
Cook Strait is the strait between the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It connects the Tasman Sea on the west with the South Pacific Ocean on the east....
area.
Edward Jerningham Wakefield had intended to stay in New Zealand for only a few months but he found the growth of the new colony so fascinating that it was four years before he returned to England in 1844. He quickly assembled his journals and they were published as "Adventures in New Zealand" in April 1845. The favourable picture he presented of the colony founded by the New Zealand Company helped the Company to avoid censure in the House of Commons.
For the next five years Edward Jerningham Wakefield lived a dissipated life in London. In September 1845 he attended a lecture at the Royal Adelaide Gallery in London by the tattooed Pākehā Māori
Pakeha Maori
Pākehā Māori is a term used to describe early European settlers in New Zealand who lived among the Māori. Some were kept by the Māori as slaves, while others settled in Māori communities by choice, many being runaway seamen or escaped convicts...
, Barnet Burns
Barnet Burns
Barnet Burns was an English sailor, trader, and showman who became one of the first Europeans to live as a Pākehā Māori and to receive the full Māori facial tattoo. He travelled to Australia and found employment as a trader of flax in New Zealand in the 1830s...
, who had previously applied without success to join the New Zealand Company on the Tory. Then, in 1850, faced with bankruptcy, Edward Jerningham sailed for New Zealand once again, this time with the advance party for the Canterbury Settlement.
He entered politics, in New Zealand's 1st Parliament
1st New Zealand Parliament
The 1st New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. It opened on 24 May 1854, following New Zealand's first general election . It was dissolved on 15 September 1855 in preparation for that year's election...
, as one of the two members for Christchurch Country for 1853-55; and was a member of the 5th Parliament
5th New Zealand Parliament
The 5th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand.Elections for this term were held in 68 European electorates between 14 January and 23 February 1871. Elections in the four Māori electorates were held on 1 and 15 January 1871. A total of 78 MPs were elected. Parliament was...
for Christchurch City East for 1871-75. He moved to Wellington in 1855 to be near his sick father, and represented the City of Wellington in the Provincial Council
Wellington Province
The Wellington Province was a province of New Zealand until the abolition of provincial government in 1876.-Area:...
from 1857 to 1861.
However because of his increasing alcoholism his behaviour was very erratic and he was an embarrassment to his supporters. He was one of the MPs sometimes locked in small rooms at Parliament by Whips to keep them sober enough to vote in critical divisions, though in 1872 this was defeated when political opponents lowered a bottle of whisky down the chimney to him. Gradually over the next few years he dissipated his wealth and substance and destroyed his health.
He died, penniless, in Ashburton, New Zealand
Ashburton, New Zealand
Ashburton is a town and district in the Canterbury Region on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the third-largest centre in Canterbury, after Christchurch and Timaru. The area around Ashburton is frequently referred to as Mid Canterbury, which is also the name of the...
in 1879.