George Witty was a 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...

 Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for Riccarton

Riccarton, New Zealand

Riccarton is a suburb of Christchurch. It is due west of the city centre, separated from it by Hagley Park. Upper Riccarton is to the west of Riccarton.-History:...

, in the South Island

South Island

The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...

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Early life

He was born in North Ferriby

North Ferriby

North Ferriby is a village and civil parish in the Haltemprice area of the East Riding of Yorkshire, England.-Geography:It is situated on the north bank of the Humber Estuary, approximately to the west of Hull city centre. To the north, atop a hill, lies Swanland via the B1231. South Ferriby is...

, in the East Riding of Yorkshire

East Riding of Yorkshire

The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Yorkshire, is a local government district with unitary authority status, and a ceremonial county of England. For ceremonial purposes the county also includes the city of Kingston upon Hull, which is a separate unitary authority...

, England and came to New Zealand in 1875 with two shillings in his pocket. He was a farmer and a director of the local saleyards company in Christchurch

Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...

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Member of Parliament

George Witty represented the Riccarton

Riccarton (New Zealand electorate)

-Population centres:The electorate was in the south-western suburbs of Christchurch, New Zealand, and was based on the suburb of Riccarton.-History:The electorate was created in 1893, and existed to 1978 when it was abolished....

 electorate in the New Zealand House of Representatives

New Zealand House of Representatives

The New Zealand House of Representatives is the sole chamber of the legislature of New Zealand. The House and the Queen of New Zealand form the New Zealand Parliament....

 for twenty three years from 1902 to 1925 (Wilson, p. 247). Witty was a Liberal

New Zealand Liberal Party

The New Zealand Liberal Party is generally regarded as having been the first real political party in New Zealand. It governed from 1891 until 1912. Out of office, the Liberals gradually found themselves pressed between the conservative Reform Party and the growing Labour Party...

 but at the 1922 election he stood as an Independent

Independent (politician)

In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...

 and was successful (Wood, p. 105 & Bassett, p. 66).

Witty was a member of the Legislative Council

New Zealand Legislative Council

The Legislative Council of New Zealand was the upper house of the New Zealand Parliament from 1853 until 1951. Unlike the lower house, the New Zealand House of Representatives, the Legislative Council was appointed.-Role:...

 between 1925 and 1932. He was awarded the King George VI Coronation Medal

King George VI Coronation Medal

The King George VI Coronation Medal was a commemorative medal made to celebrate the coronation of King George VI.-Issue:For Coronation and Jubilee medals, the practice up until 1977 was that United Kingdom authorities decided on a total number to be produced, then allocated a proportion to each of...

 in 1937 and was Chairman of the Paparua County Council.

After Witty, Herbert Kyle

Herbert Kyle

Herbert Seton Stewart Kyle was a Reform Party and from 1935 National Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand. He was born in Brunswick, Victoria, Australia.-Member of Parliament:...

 (OBE

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

) of the Reform Party

New Zealand Reform Party

The Reform Party, formally the New Zealand Political Reform League, was New Zealand's second major political party, having been founded as a conservative response to the original Liberal Party...

 represented the Riccarton electorate

Riccarton (New Zealand electorate)

-Population centres:The electorate was in the south-western suburbs of Christchurch, New Zealand, and was based on the suburb of Riccarton.-History:The electorate was created in 1893, and existed to 1978 when it was abolished....

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