Speaker of the New Zealand Legislative Council

The Speaker of the Legislative Council was the chair of New Zealand's upper house

Upper house

An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...

, 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:...

. The position corresponded roughly to that of Speaker of the House of Representatives

Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives

In New Zealand the Speaker of the House of Representatives is the individual who chairs the country's legislative body, the New Zealand House of Representatives...

. It was abolished in 1951, along with the Legislative Council itself, and the information here is purely historical.

Holders of the office

18 people held the office of Speaker Since the creation of the Legislative Council. Three had previously been Prime Minister. One had previously been Speaker of the House of Representatives. A list of Speakers is below.

	Name	Took Office	Left Office	Speaker's Party	Governing Party
1	William Swainson William Swainson (lawyer) William Swainson was born in Lancaster, England on 25 April 1809 and educated in Lancaster Grammar School. His legal education was in Middle Temple and he was called to the bar in 1838...	1854	1855	None	None
2	Frederick Whitaker Frederick Whitaker Sir Frederick Whitaker, KCMG was an English-born New Zealand politician who served twice as the fifth Premier of New Zealand and six times as Attorney-General.-Early life:...	1855	1856	None	None
3	Thomas Houghton Bartley Thomas Houghton Bartley Thomas Houghton Bartley was a New Zealand politician. As well as serving as Superintendent of Auckland Province, he served in the First New Zealand Parliament in 1854, representing the City of Auckland electorate...	1856	1868	None	None
4	John Larkins Cheese Richardson John Larkins Cheese Richardson Sir John Larkins Cheese Richardson was a 19th century New Zealand politician, and a cabinet minister.-Military career:Richardson was born in India, where he was in the Army, and was known as Major Richardson.- Political career:...	1868	1879	None	None
5	William Fitzherbert William Fitzherbert (New Zealand) Sir William Fitzherbert KCMG MLC was a New Zealand politician. He served as Minister of Finance, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Speaker of the Legislative Council.-Early life:...	1879	1887	None	None
6	George Marsden Waterhouse George Marsden Waterhouse George Marsden Waterhouse was a Premier of South Australia from 8 October 1861 until 3 July 1863 and the seventh Premier of New Zealand from 11 October 1872 to 3 March 1873.-Early life:...	1887	1887	None	None
	William Fitzherbert, 2nd time	1887	1890	None	None
	William Fitzherbert, continued	1890	1891	None	Liberal
7	Harry Atkinson Harry Atkinson Henry Albert "Harry" Atkinson served as the tenth Premier of New Zealand on four separate occasions in the late 19th century, and was Colonial Treasurer for a total of ten years...	1891	1892	None	Liberal
8	Henry Miller Henry Miller (New Zealand politician) Sir Henry John Miller was a New Zealand politician.Miller was the second son of The Rev. Sir Thomas Combe Miller, 6th Baronet and his wife Martha Holmes, daughter of the Rev. Thomas Holmes, of Bungay, Suffolk. He was educated at Eton College and admitted to Trinity College, Cambridge on 8 July 1848...	1892	1903	None	Liberal
9	William Campbell Walker William Campbell Walker William Campbell Walker was a 19th century New Zealand politician.He represented the Canterbury electorate of Ashburton in Parliament from 1884 to 1890, when he was defeated. He was a cabinet minister...	1903	1904	Liberal	Liberal
10	John Rigg John Rigg The Hon. John Rigg MLC was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He was born in St Kilda, Victoria, Australia, and was a typographer and union secretary. He was the first President of the Independent Political Labour League in 1905.He was appointed to the Legislative Council as a Labour... (Acting)	1904	1904	Labour	Liberal
11	Alfred Cadman Alfred Cadman Sir Alfred Jerome Cadman was a New Zealand politician of the Liberal Party. He was the Minister of Railways from 1895 to 1899 in the First Liberal Government.-Early life:Cadman was born in Sydney, Australia, in 1847...	1904	1905	Liberal	Liberal
12	Richard Reeves Richard Reeves (New Zealand) Richard Harman Jeffares Reeves MLC was a New Zealand politician of the Liberal Party.He was born in County Wexford, Ireland. He was on the Canterbury Provincial Council in 1866. He represented the Grey Valley electorate in Parliament from a 1878 by-election to 1881...	1905	1905	Liberal	Liberal
13	Charles Christopher Bowen Charles Christopher Bowen Sir Charles Christopher Bowen KB. KCMG. was a 19th century New Zealand politician.-Life:Bowen was born in County Mayo, Ireland and studied law for two years at Cambridge University...	1905	1912	Unknown	Liberal
	Charles Christopher Bowen, continued	1912	1915	Unknown	Reform
14	Charles John Johnston Charles John Johnston Charles John Johnston was the Mayor of Wellington, New Zealand in 1890, the Jubilee year.He represented the Te Aro electorate from 1881 to 1887, when he resigned. He was a member of the Legislative Council from 1891 to 1918, and the Speaker from 1915 to 1918.He was born 11 October 1845 in...	1915	1918	Unknown	Reform
15	Walter Carncross Walter Carncross Sir Walter Charles Frederick Carncross was a New Zealand politician of the Liberal Party.He represented the Taieri electorate from 1890 to 1902, when he retired. He was appointed to the Legislative Council, of which he was the Speaker from 1918 to 1939. He was knighted in 1922.-References:...	1918	1928	Liberal	Reform
	Walter Carncross, continued	1928	1935	Liberal	Liberal
	Walter Carncross, continued	1935	1939	Liberal	Labour
16	Mark Fagan Mark Fagan Mark Anthony Fagan was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party and a union secretary. He stood several times for Labour but was not elected, although he was on Labour’s National Executive from 1930. In 1935 he was appointed to the Legislative Council, where he was Speaker, to 1947...	1935	1947	Labour	Labour
17	Bernard Martin Bernard Martin Hon. Bernard Martin MLC was appointed to the New Zealand Legislative Council in 1936, and was Speaker from 1948 to 1950.He was a pioneer of the Labour Party. Born in England, he migrated to New Zealand in 1900, and was a member of the first Executive of the Labour Party in 1916. From Auckland, he...	1947	1949	Labour	Labour
18	Thomas Otto Bishop Thomas Otto Bishop Hon. Thomas Otto Bishop MLC was appointed to the New Zealand Legislative Council in 1943, and was Speaker from 1950 until it was abolished in 1951 by the First National Government....	1949	1950	National	National

Holders of the office

See also