Isaac Featherston

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    The Honourable
    Isaac Featherston
    NZC
    Portrait photo of a man around 60 years of age
    I.E. Featherston, 1873
    7th Colonial Secretary
    In office
    12 July 1861 – 2 August 1861
    Member of the New Zealand Parliament
    for Wanganui and Rangitikei
    In office
    24 May 1854 – 9 August 1855
    Member of the New Zealand Parliament
    for City of Wellington
    In office
    1855–1858
    In office
    1858–1870
    1st Superintendent of Wellington Province
    In office
    2 July 1853 – 23 April 1858
    In office
    28 June 1858 – 14 March 1870
    Personal details
    Born21 March 1813
    Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland, England
    Died19 June 1876(1876-06-19) (aged 63)
    Hove, Sussex, England
    RelationsJohn Cargill, Charles Johnston sons-in-law

    Isaac Earl Featherston NZC (21 March 1813 – 19 June 1876) was a New Zealand doctor, politician, and was known for his advocacy for the establishment of New Zealand self-government, and the importance of the provincial governments.

    Early life and family[edit]

    He was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, on 21 March 1813 as son of Thomas Featherston and Jane Earl. Although he spent a significant amount of time playing sports, specifically football, as a youngster he was also quite academic and qualified in medicine at the University of Edinburgh in 1836, later at 10 December 1839 marrying Bethia Campbell Scott. He decide to leave England due to problems with tuberculosis in hope of a cure in New Zealand, leaving in December 1840. He arrived in Wellington in May 1841 on the New Zealand Company ship Olympus as surgeon-superintendent.[1] On 1 September 1869, his third daughter, Kate, married fellow member of parliament John Cargill.[2][3]

    Political career[edit]

    New Zealand Parliament
    Years Term Electorate Party
    1853–1855 1st Wanganui and Rangitikei Independent
    1855–1858 2nd Town of Wellington Independent
    1858–1860 2nd Town of Wellington Independent
    1860–1866 3rd City of Wellington Independent
    1866–1870 4th City of Wellington Independent

    Featherston served in the first, second, third, and fourth Parliaments. He represented the Wanganui and Rangitikei electorate in the first parliament until he resigned on 9 August 1855, and then represented the City of Wellington electorate in the second, third and fourth parliaments. In 1858, he resigned his seat in Parliament[4] and his Wellington superintendency, apparently wanting to return to England. Instead, he successfully stood for re-election in both positions within months.[1]

    Featherston was Colonial Secretary (forerunner to the modern Minister of Internal Affairs) in 1861, and a Minister without Portfolio from 1869 to 1871, having been appointed in both instances by William Fox.

    Featherston was also heavily involved in the politics of Wellington Province. He was elected unopposed as the first Superintendent from 1853.[1] He resigned from this post on 23 April 1858.[5] He was re-elected on 28 June 1858[5] and held the post until 1870.[1] His superintendence oversaw some slow growth in Wellington before in 1865 it became the capital of the colony.[6]

    From 1871 he was the first Agent-General for the colony in London, the precursor to the High Commissioner.[7]

    Wakefield–Featherston duel[edit]

    A duel on 24 March 1847 was fought in Wellington between Colonel William Wakefield and Featherston (who was Wakefield's doctor) over a newspaper editorial of Featherston on the New Zealand Company land policy which questioned Wakefield's honesty. Featherston fired and missed. Then Wakefield fired into the air, saying he would not shoot a man with seven daughters.[8]

    Commemoration[edit]

    The town of Featherston in the Wairarapa is named after him, as is Featherston Street in Wellington.

    References[edit]

    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Isaac Featherston.
    1. ^ a b c d Hamer, David (22 June 2007). "Featherston, Isaac Earl 1813–1876". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
    2. ^ "Marriages". Colonist. Vol. XII, no. 1254. 1 October 1869. p. 5. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
    3. ^ "News of the Week". Otago Witness. No. 928. 11 September 1869. p. 13. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
    4. ^ "HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES". Otago Witness. No. 340. 5 June 1858. p. 5. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
    5. ^ a b Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer. p. 234.
    6. ^ Hamer, David (1990). "Wellington on the Urban Frontier". In Hamer, David; Nicholls, Roberta (eds.). The Making of Wellington 1800-1914. Wellington, New Zealand: Victoria University Press. pp. 247–248. ISBN 0-86473-200-7.
    7. ^ McLintock, A. H., ed. (11 August 2009) [originally published in 1966]. "Featherston, Dr Isaac Earl". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
    8. ^ McLintock, A. H., ed. (23 April 2009) [originally published in 1966]. "Duell". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 3 July 2010.

    Citations[edit]

    Political offices
    New office Superintendent of Wellington Province
    1853–1858
    1858–1870     		Succeeded by
    Preceded by Colonial Secretary
    1861     		Succeeded by
    New Zealand Parliament
    New constituency Member of Parliament for Wanganui and Rangitikei
    1853–1855     		Constituency abolished
    Preceded by Member of Parliament for Wellington
    1855–1870
    Served alongside: Charles Clifford, William Waring Taylor, William Fitzherbert, William Barnard Rhodes and Charles Borlase     		Succeeded by
    Diplomatic posts
    New title Agent-General of New Zealand in the United Kingdom
    1871–1876     		Succeeded by
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