William James Speight (1843 – 24 April 1919) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament in Auckland, New Zealand.
Biography
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.
He married his cousin, a daughter of Isaac Speight, in 1872. They had six sons and three daughters.
He contested the Auckland East electorate in the 1879 general election against James Clark and with 371 to 363 votes obtained a narrow victory. He represented the electorate until the end of the parliamentary term in 1881, when he was defeated (for the Thames electorate).
Speight died in Auckland on 24 April 1919, and was buried at Purewa Cemetery.
References
- ^ 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) . 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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- 1843 births
- 1919 deaths
- Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
- Unsuccessful candidates in the 1881 New Zealand general election
- Unsuccessful candidates in the 1884 New Zealand general election
- New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates
- Engineers from Dublin (city)
- Irish emigrants to New Zealand
- Burials at Purewa Cemetery
- 19th-century New Zealand politicians
- Unsuccessful candidates in the 1911 New Zealand general election
- New Zealand politician stubs