Thomas Henderson (New Zealand)
Encyclopedia
Thomas Maxwell Henderson (1810 – 27 June 1886) was a New Zealand
politician. He was one of the earliest settlers in Auckland
. He was a significant entrepreneur, and the Auckland suburb of Henderson
bears his name.
, Scotland
, in 1810. He was a blacksmith by trade and served his time as an engineer and machine maker. He met the Macfarlane siblings in Perth
; John, Henry and Catherine (1811–1867). He married Catherine in 1834.
A family conference consisting all the above plus Ann Taylor (née Macfarlane) and her husband decided that they would answer to the advertisements for tradesmen and women to emigrate to New Zealand. They left Gravesend
near London
on 13 August 1840 on the barque London, arriving in Port Nicholson (Wellington) on 12 December. George Henderson, their 15 months old son, had died on the voyage. The Henderson and Macfarlane families went north, heading for Auckland
at a time when not a single house had been erected yet.
, he employed about 300 Māori in gumdigging and was credited by other colonists as keeping them from joining Hone Heke
. With his brother in law John Macfarlane, he formed the firm of Henderson and Macfarlane. They operated a mill from around 1847, after Governor
Robert FitzRoy
granted a land claim by them. Henderson and Macfarlane owned the Circular Saw Line of vessels, which traded to Australia, China and America. Henderson assisted in establishing the Bank of New Zealand
, the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company
, the New Zealand Insurance Company and the Auckland Gas Company.
John Macfarlane died of a heart attack in 1860, and his place in the company was taken by his elder brother Thomas Macfarlane
.
Henderson was first elected to the Auckland Provincial Council
in the City of Auckland electorate on 26 October 1855. He served on the second Council until 18 August 1857. From 26 November 1855 to 10 November 1856, he was a member of the Executive Council. He served another period on the fifth Provincial Council, from 26 November 1865 to 5 June 1867, representing the Northern Division electorate.
He represented the Northern Division
electorate in the 2nd Parliament
from 27 October 1855
to his resignation on 30 March 1860. He won the resulting 23 May 1860 by-election and continued representing the electorate for the remaining five months of the parliament's term.
He was elected again for the 3rd Parliament
in January 1861, and the 4th Parliament
in February 1866
, but he resigned on 5 June 1867. He then represented the Waitemata
electorate in the 5th Parliament
from February 1871 to 24 April 1874, when he again resigned.
He was a minister without portfolio
in the 1861–62 government of William Fox
. At the instance of Sir George Grey
, who at the time was Premier
, he was appointed to the Legislative Council
on 25 July 1878 and served until his death in 1886.
on Sunday, 27 June 1886. His body was transferred to Auckland on the SS Penguin and buried in Symonds Street Cemetery
beside his wife. The Auckland suburb of Henderson
is named after Thomas Henderson. Catherine Street in the centre of Henderson is named after his wife. All central Henderson streets were once named after members of the family (e.g. Thomas, Henry, John, Mary and George), but they have either been renamed or removed.
Henderson donated land for a turf club in 1876. The land is these days occupied by the Plumer Domain and Henderson High School.
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...
politician. He was one of the earliest settlers in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
. He was a significant entrepreneur, and the Auckland suburb of Henderson
Henderson, New Zealand
Henderson is a major suburb of Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 13 kilometres to the west of Auckland city centre, and two kilometres to the west of the Whau River, a southwestern arm of the Waitemata Harbour.-Description:...
bears his name.
Early life
Henderson was born in DundeeDundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, in 1810. He was a blacksmith by trade and served his time as an engineer and machine maker. He met the Macfarlane siblings in Perth
Perth, Scotland
Perth is a town and former city and royal burgh in central Scotland. Located on the banks of the River Tay, it is the administrative centre of Perth and Kinross council area and the historic county town of Perthshire...
; John, Henry and Catherine (1811–1867). He married Catherine in 1834.
A family conference consisting all the above plus Ann Taylor (née Macfarlane) and her husband decided that they would answer to the advertisements for tradesmen and women to emigrate to New Zealand. They left Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
near London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 13 August 1840 on the barque London, arriving in Port Nicholson (Wellington) on 12 December. George Henderson, their 15 months old son, had died on the voyage. The Henderson and Macfarlane families went north, heading for Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
at a time when not a single house had been erected yet.
Professional career
He built the Commercial Hotel at a cost of £2000, and it was at the time the most pretentious building in Auckland. During the Flagstaff WarFlagstaff War
The Flagstaff War – also known as Hone Heke's Rebellion, the Northern War and erroneously as the First Māori War – was fought between 11 March 1845 and 11 January 1846 in and around the Bay of Islands, New Zealand...
, he employed about 300 Māori in gumdigging and was credited by other colonists as keeping them from joining Hone Heke
Hone Heke
Hone Wiremu Heke Pokai was a Māori rangatira and war leader in Northern New Zealand and a nephew of Hongi Hika, an earlier war leader of the Ngāpuhi iwi. Hone Heke is considered the principal instigator of the Flagstaff War....
. With his brother in law John Macfarlane, he formed the firm of Henderson and Macfarlane. They operated a mill from around 1847, after Governor
Governor-General of New Zealand
The Governor-General of New Zealand is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand . The Governor-General acts as the Queen's vice-regal representative in New Zealand and is often viewed as the de facto head of state....
Robert FitzRoy
Robert FitzRoy
Vice-Admiral Robert FitzRoy RN achieved lasting fame as the captain of HMS Beagle during Charles Darwin's famous voyage, and as a pioneering meteorologist who made accurate weather forecasting a reality...
granted a land claim by them. Henderson and Macfarlane owned the Circular Saw Line of vessels, which traded to Australia, China and America. Henderson assisted in establishing the Bank of New Zealand
Bank of New Zealand
Bank of New Zealand is one of New Zealand’s largest banks and has been operating continuously in the country since the first office was opened in Auckland in October 1861 followed shortly after by the first branch in Dunedin in December 1861...
, the New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company
New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company
New Zealand Loan and Mercantile Agency Company - formerly of No. 1, Victoria-street, Mansion House, London.The principal business of the company was to provide investment and loan of monies in New Zealand and elsewhere, together with trade and commerce....
, the New Zealand Insurance Company and the Auckland Gas Company.
John Macfarlane died of a heart attack in 1860, and his place in the company was taken by his elder brother Thomas Macfarlane
Thomas Macfarlane
Thomas Macfarlane was a 19th century Member of Parliament from the Auckland Region, New Zealand.He represented the Northern Division electorate from 1867 to 1870, when he retired. He was the business partner of Thomas Henderson.-References:...
.
Political career
Henderson was first elected to the Auckland Provincial Council
Auckland Province
The Auckland Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876.-Anniversary Day:...
in the City of Auckland electorate on 26 October 1855. He served on the second Council until 18 August 1857. From 26 November 1855 to 10 November 1856, he was a member of the Executive Council. He served another period on the fifth Provincial Council, from 26 November 1865 to 5 June 1867, representing the Northern Division electorate.
He represented the Northern Division
Northern Division (New Zealand electorate)
Northern Division was a two-member parliamentary electorate in the Auckland Region, New Zealand from 1853 to 1870.-Geographic distribution:The electorate was north of Auckland; originally nearly to Whangarei, but from 1860 to just north of Warkworth....
electorate in the 2nd Parliament
2nd New Zealand Parliament
The 2nd New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. It opened on 15 April 1856, following New Zealand's 1855 election. It was dissolved on 5 November 1860 in preparation for 1860–61 election...
from 27 October 1855
New Zealand general election, 1855
The 1855 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 2nd term. It was the second national election ever held in New Zealand, and the first one which elected a Parliament that had full authority to govern the colony.-Background:The first...
to his resignation on 30 March 1860. He won the resulting 23 May 1860 by-election and continued representing the electorate for the remaining five months of the parliament's term.
He was elected again for the 3rd Parliament
3rd New Zealand Parliament
The 3rd New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. Elections for this term were held between 12 December 1860 and 28 March 1861 in 43 electorates to elect 53 MPs...
in January 1861, and the 4th Parliament
4th New Zealand Parliament
The 4th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand.Elections for this term were held in 61 electorates between 12 February and 6 April 1866 to elect 70 MPs. Parliament was prorogued in late 1870. During the term of this Parliament, two Ministries were in power...
in February 1866
New Zealand general election, 1866
The New Zealand general election of 1866 was held between 12 February and 6 April to elect 70 MPs to the fourth term of the New Zealand Parliament. 13,196 votes were cast....
, but he resigned on 5 June 1867. He then represented the Waitemata
Waitemata (New Zealand electorate)
Waitemata was a New Zealand parliamentary electorate, from 1871 to 1946, and then from 1954 to 1978.-Population centres:This electorate is in the suburbs of Auckland.-History:The electorate existed from 1871 to 1946, and from 1954 to 1978...
electorate in 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...
from February 1871 to 24 April 1874, when he again resigned.
He was a minister without portfolio
Minister without Portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister that does not head a particular ministry...
in the 1861–62 government of William Fox
William Fox (New Zealand)
Sir William Fox, KCMG was the second Premier of New Zealand on four occasions in the 19th century, while New Zealand was still a colony. He was known for his eventual support of Māori land rights, his contributions to the education system , and his work to increase New Zealand's autonomy from...
. At the instance of Sir George Grey
George Grey
George Grey may refer to:*Sir George Grey, 2nd Baronet , British politician*George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent *Sir George Grey , Governor of Cape Colony, South Australia and New Zealand...
, who at the time was Premier
Prime Minister of New Zealand
The Prime Minister of New Zealand is New Zealand's head of government consequent on being the leader of the party or coalition with majority support in the Parliament of New Zealand...
, he was appointed to 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:...
on 25 July 1878 and served until his death in 1886.
Death and commemoration
Henderson suffered a paralytic stroke on 19 June 1886, and died at the residence of George Graham in WellingtonWellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
on Sunday, 27 June 1886. His body was transferred to Auckland on the SS Penguin and buried in Symonds Street Cemetery
Symonds Street Cemetery
Symonds Street Cemetery is a historic cemetery and park in central Auckland, New Zealand. It is in 5.8 hectares of deciduous forest on the western slope of Grafton Gully, by the corner of Symonds Street and Karangahape Road, and is crossed by the Grafton Bridge...
beside his wife. The Auckland suburb of Henderson
Henderson, New Zealand
Henderson is a major suburb of Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 13 kilometres to the west of Auckland city centre, and two kilometres to the west of the Whau River, a southwestern arm of the Waitemata Harbour.-Description:...
is named after Thomas Henderson. Catherine Street in the centre of Henderson is named after his wife. All central Henderson streets were once named after members of the family (e.g. Thomas, Henry, John, Mary and George), but they have either been renamed or removed.
Henderson donated land for a turf club in 1876. The land is these days occupied by the Plumer Domain and Henderson High School.