Charles Matthew Gray

Charles Mathew Gray (1853-11 June 1918) was a New Zealand Independent Member of Parliament for Christchurch North in the South Island.

Member of Parliament

Charles Gray represented the Christchurch North electorate in the New Zealand House of Representatives from 1905 to 1908.

Independent Liberal

Gray defeated Tommy Taylor in the 1905 contest for Christchurch North.

Gray made it clear during the election campaign that he was an Independent Liberal who would go to the House unfettered by party obligations. He declared that he was not a " 'party man' ". [citation |newspaper = Lyttelton Times, |date = 18 November 1905 |year = 1905 p.7]

Charles Gray was born in Geelong, Victoria, in Australia and came to New Zealand in 1862. He participated in the Land Wars of the 1860s and received the NZ War Medal.

Gray was elected to the Christchurch City Council in 1885, and became Mayor of Christchurch in 1891, and again in 1904 and 1905. His chief aims were beautifying the city, drainage, sanitation, lighting and high pressure water supply.

He died in Christchurch on 11 June 1918.

References

Further reading

:*citation |first = G. F. |last = Whitcher |title = The New Liberal Party 1905 [M.A.(Hons.) - University of Canterbury] |year = 1966:*citation |first = James Oakley |last = Wilson |title = The New Zealand Parliamentary Record: 1840-1984|edition = 4th |place = Wellington, [N.Z.] |publisher = Government Printer |year = 1985