Frederick Whitaker

Infobox_Officeholder
name=Hon. Sir Frederick Whitaker
monarch=Victoria
order=5^th Premier of New Zealand


term_start=30 October 1863
term_end=24 November 1864
21 April 1882 - 25 September 1883
predecessor=Alfred Domett (1863)
successor=Frederick Weld (1864)
birth_date=birth date|1812|4|23|df=y
birth_place=Bampton, Oxfordshire, England
death_date=1891
death_place=Wellington, New Zealand
spouse=
party=None
constituency=Legislative Council (later Waikato and Parnell)
religion=
order2=1^st Attorney-General
term_start2=7 May 1856
term_end2=20 May 1856

Sir Frederick Whitaker, KCMG (1812 - 1891) was an English-born New Zealand politician who served twice as Premier of New Zealand and six times as Attorney-General.

Early life

Whitaker was born at the Manor House, Bampton, Oxfordshire, England on 23 April 1812. Whitaker undertook a legal education and became a solicitor and attorney at the age of 27. A year later he sailed to Australia and then New Zealand.

Whitaker lived in Auckland and was appointed a County Court judge until this position was abolished in 1844, at which time he returned to work as a lawyer. He was appointed to the New Zealand Legislative Council in March 1845. He also served as a major in the militia.

After leaving the Legislative Council in 1846 he became a member again in May 1853. He also became the provincial law officier for Auckland Province in 1854.

Attorney-General

Whitaker became the first Attorney-General of New Zealand in the government of Henry Sewell in 1856. He served as Attorney-General until 1861 when he resigned from Cabinet and went back to the law. In October 1863 Whitaker was called upon to form a government to replace Premier Domett following his defeat at a vote of no-confidence.

First Premiership

Whitaker's term as Premier lasted just over a year until November 1864. His term ended due to differences between himself and Governor Grey over the conduct of the New Zealand Wars. Whitaker also resigned as a member of the Legislative Council. He served briefly as the member of Parliament for Parnell from 1866 to 1867.

In October 1865 he was elected Superintendent of Auckland Province, which office he held until 1867. Then for nine years he stayed away from public office.

econd Premiership

In 1876 he became MP for Waikato and later Attorney-General again, in Atkinson's government. The Atkinson Ministry lasted until October 1877 and Whitaker lost his seat in the House in 1879. However when Premier Hall wanted him to serve as Attorney-General again, he was appointed once more to the Legislative Council in 1879. When Hall resigned in April 1882, Whitaker became Premier for the second time, serving until September 1883.

Whitaker was made a KCMG in 1884 and served again as Attorney-General, and as leader of the Legislative Council from 1887 to 1890. By then his health was failing, and he died on 4 December 1891.

References

*cite book |last= Burke|first= Edmund|title=Annual Register|origdate= |origyear= |origmonth= |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=zTMFLQ0SbgsC&pg=RA5-PA209&dq=%22Frederick+Whitaker%22&lr=&as_brr=3&ei=fJqbSMSPIpzwigHhjb37BA|year= 1891|publisher= Longmans, Green and Co.|pages= p209
*cite book |last= |first= |title=The New Zealand Official Year-book|origdate= |origyear= |origmonth= |url= http://books.google.com/books?id=D1AUAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA25&dq=%22Frederick+Whitaker%22&lr=&as_brr=3&ei=fJqbSMSPIpzwigHhjb37BA#PPA25,M1|year= 1905|publisher= |pages= p25