William James Speight (1843 – 24 April 1919) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament in Auckland, New Zealand.
Biography
edit| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1879–1881 | 7th | Auckland East | Independent | ||
Speight was born in Dublin in 1843, where he attended the Blue Coat School. He trained as a mechanical engineer in his father's firm and emigrated to New Zealand in 1865 on the Maori. When gold was found in the Coromandel, he moved to Thames.[1]
He married his cousin, a daughter of Isaac Speight, in 1872. They had six sons and three daughters.[1]
He contested the Auckland East electorate in the 1879 general election against James Clark and with 371 to 363 votes obtained a narrow victory.[2] He represented the electorate until the end of the parliamentary term in 1881, when he was defeated (for the Thames electorate).[3]
Speight died in Auckland on 24 April 1919,[4] and was buried at Purewa Cemetery.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b Cyclopedia Company Limited (1902). "Mr. William James Speight". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Auckland Provincial District. Christchurch: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 19 March 2012.
- ^ "The City East Election". Auckland Star. Vol. X, no. 2939. 15 September 1879. p. 3. Retrieved 20 September 2011.
- ^ Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand parliamentary record, 1840-1984 (4 ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. p. 235. OCLC 154283103.
- ^ "Deaths". New Zealand Herald. 25 April 1919. p. 1. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
- ^ "Burial & cremation details". Purewa Cemetery and Crematorium. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
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