Frederick Weld
Categories: New Zealand politicians | New Zealand Prime Ministers | 1823 births | 1891 deaths | Governors of Tasmania | Governors of Western Australia
| Personal Details | |
| Birth: | 9 May 1823 in Bridport, Dorset, England |
| Death: | 20 July 1891 in Chideock, Dorset, England |
| Marriage: | 1859, to Filumena Mary Anne Lisle Phillipps |
| Children: | Thirteen |
| Religion: | Catholicism |
| Background: | Sheep station owner |
| Political Details | |
| Electorates: | Wairau, Cheviot |
| Order: | 6th Prime Minister |
| Political Party: | None |
| Premiership | |
| Predecessor: | Frederick Whitaker |
| Term of Office: | 24 November 1864 to 16 October 1865 |
| Duration: | 10 months, 22 days |
| Cause of Departure: | Resignation |
| Successor: | Edward Stafford |
Sir Frederick Aloysius Weld, GCMG (1823–1891), , was a New Zealand politician and a governor of various British colonies. He was the sixth person to serve as Premier of New Zealand, and later served as Governor of Western Australia, Governor of Tasmania, and Governor of the Straits Settlements.
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Early life
Weld was born near Bridport, Dorset, England, on 9 May 1823. His mother, Maria Christina Clifford, was the daughter of Charles Clifford, Baron of Chudleigh. His father, Humphrey Weld, was the son of Thomas Weld, founder of the prestigious Jesuit college at Stonyhurst. Weld's upbringing was strongly grounded in the Catholic faith. His early years were spent with his parents in France. Later, he received a good education, studying at Stonyhurst before attending the University of Fribourg in Switzerland, where he studied philosophy, chemistry, languages and law. He had originally intended to pursue a military career, but was convinced otherwise by his tutor at Fribourg. He instead decided to seek a career in the colonies, and arrived in Wellington, New Zealand, on 22 April 1844.
In New Zealand, he entered a partnership with his cousin, Charles Clifford. The two established a number of sheep stations around the country, and Weld became relatively prosperous. Weld found a life of agricultural management to be too mundane, however, and soon became active in political concerns. One of his more significant campaigns was to ward against any potential discrimination against Catholics in New Zealand. He later became active in lobbying for representative government in New Zealand.
In 1848, Weld declined an offer by the governor, Sir George Grey, of a seat on a proposed nominee council. In 1852 he visited England, where he published a pamplet, Hints to Intending Sheep Farmers in New Zealand, which ran into three editions.
Parliamentary career
When the creation of the New Zealand Parliament was announced, Weld stood for election. He became a member of the 1st Parliament as the representative of Wairau, an electorate in the northeast of the South Island. The main political division of the day was between "centralists" (favouring a strong central government) and "provincialists" (favouring strong regional governments). On this spectrum, Weld established himself as a moderate centralist, although he tended to oppose the extremes of either side.
Weld was also a member of the brief "cabinet" formed around James FitzGerald. This represented an attempt by Parliament to assume direct responsibility for administering New Zealand. Acting Governor Robert Wynyard managed to block this move, however, and Weld's role as a "minister" came to an end. Despite the failure of the FitzGerald "cabinet", Weld was pleased that Catholics were able to participate fully in politics. The fact that Charles Clifford, also a Catholic, had become Speaker was also encouraging to him.
Weld resigned from Parliament a short while before the end of its first term, returning to England for a brief time. When he returned, he was elected to the 2nd Parliament, again representing Wairau. He briefly returned to England again to marry a distant cousin, Filumena Mary Anne Lisle Phillipps, with whom he would have thirteen children.
In 1860, Weld was invited to join Edward Stafford's government, taking over responsibility for Native Affairs from William Richmond. In this role, Weld had to contend with conflicts such as the First Taranaki War. Although Weld disliked the prospect of war, and believed that Governor George Grey had mishandled the situation, he believed strongly in the need to assert the power of the government, describing it as a "painful duty". Weld lost his ministerial position when the Stafford administration was defeated.
In 1864 (by which time Weld was representing Cheviot, formed from the southern half of his old Wairau seat), the government of Frederick Whitaker resigned due to disputes with the Governor. The point in question was who should bear responsibility for funding British troops stationed in New Zealand. Weld, believing that it was British ineptitude that caused conflict with the Maori in the first place, strongly objected to Grey's demands that Parliament should fund the troops. Weld instead believed that British troops should be removed from New Zealand altogether, and be replaced by local forces.
Premiership
Weld, as one of the more respected members of Parliament, was asked to form a new administration, which he agreed to do on two main conditions. Firstly, Weld insisted that his policies for dealing with Maori should be adopted — punishment for "rebellion" would come in the form of confiscation of land, not any form of criminal proceedings. Secondly, the capital of New Zealand would be moved from Auckland to the more central location of Wellington. Both conditions were granted, and Weld became Premier.
As Premier, Weld met with mixed success. The capital was indeed moved to Wellington, and his proposals for Maori relations were adopted. These two things generated considerable bitterness, however — Aucklanders were angry about the change of capital, and Maori were angry about the confiscation of over a million acres (4,000 km²) of land in the Waikato area. Weld's other success, the withdrawal of British troops from New Zealand, was also controversial, and generated considerable hostility from the Governor. In addition, the government's financial situation was precarious. A little less than a year after taking office, Weld's government resigned.
Colonial governorships
Weld, suffering from poor health and stress, retired from politics in 1866, and returned to England the following year. However his health improved, and he began working again. In 1869 he published Notes on New Zealand Affairs, and in March of the same year he began a career as a British colonial governor with an appointment to the post of governor of Western Australia.
Governor of Western Australia
Weld arrived in Western Australia in September 1869. He immediately embarked on a series of tours of the state, which saw travel about 2,100 miles (3,400 km) on horseback in his first six months in office. Impressed by the state's isolation, he urged the establishment of telegraph lines and improvements to transportation. In March 1870 he sent John Forrest to explore and survey a possible route for a telegraph line between Albany and Adelaide. This was later built, and by 1874, the state had more than 900 miles (1400 km) of operational telegraph line. Weld also oversaw the establishment of a steamship service along the coast, and the beginnings of a rail system.
Weld saw his appointment to the governorship as a mandate to institute similar constitutional changes to that achieved in New Zealand. With the enthusiastic support of his Colonial Secretary Frederick Barlee, he set about promoting representative government. At the first opportunity, Weld introduced a Bill which provided for the election of 12 Members of the Legislative Council, to sit with six official and nominee members. The Bill was eventually passed on June 1 1870. Barlee then began agitating for responsible government, and in 1874 the Legislative Council passed a resolution calling for it. Although Weld did not think that Western Australia was ready for responsible government, he accepted the situation and passed on the request to the Colonial Office in London. The Colonial Office were strongly against granting responsible government, and were critical of Weld for allowing the situation to arise. In 1874, Weld went on leave to New Zealand to look after his partnership affairs. On this return, he was transferred to the post of Governor of Tasmania, and the issue of responsible government was dropped until 1890.
Other colonial governorships
Weld was Governor of Tasmania from 1875 to 1880. He found the role much less taxing than in Western Australia, as Tasmania already had responsible government and his main duty was to preside at meetings of the Executive Council. From 1880 to 1887, he was Governor of the Straits Settlements, consisting of Malacca, Penang, and Singapore. Louch (1966) writes of Weld's seven years in Singapore: It was there with his wealth of experience that he found the fullest scope for his talents as a colonial administrator, and where he is best remembered now. He was created CMG in 1875, KCMG in 1880 and GCMG in 1885.
Later life
Weld finally retired from political life in 1887, although he remained active in other fields of work. In 1891, visiting the Straits Settlements once again, he contracted a serious illness, and returned to England. He died in Chideock on 20 July 1891.
References
- The Constitution Centre of Western Australia (2002). Governors and Premiers of Western Australia. West Perth, Western Australia. ISBN 0730738213.
- Louch, T.S. (1966). The First Fifty Years: The History of the Weld Club (1871–1921), Appendix A: Governor Weld Patron of the Club, Perth, Western Australia.
- Serle, Percival (1949). Dictionary of Australian Biography. Angus and Robertson. Sydney.
| Prime Minister of New Zealand | Image:New zealand coa.png | |||
| Preceded by: Frederick Whitaker | (1864-1865) | Succeeded by: Edward Stafford | ||
| Sewell | Fox | Stafford | Domett | Whitaker | Weld | Waterhouse | Vogel | Pollen | Atkinson | Grey | Hall | Stout | Ballance | Seddon | Hall-Jones | Ward | Mackenzie | Massey | Bell | Coates | Forbes | Savage | Fraser | Holland | Nash | Holyoake | Marshall | Kirk | Rowling | Muldoon | Lange | Palmer | Moore | Bolger | Shipley | Clark | ||||
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