# Alfred Saunders

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New Zealand politician (1820–1905)

For the Irish flying ace, see [Alfred William Saunders](/source/Alfred_William_Saunders).

Alfred Saunders Saunders, c. 1901 3rd Superintendent of Nelson Province In office March 1865 – 4 February 1867 Preceded by John Perry Robinson Succeeded by Oswald Curtis Personal details Born (1820-06-12)12 June 1820 Market Lavington, England Died 28 October 1905(1905-10-28) (aged 85) Party Independent Spouse Rhoda Flower ​ ​ (m. 1847; died 1898)​ [1] Children 10, including Sarah, Samuel Relatives Samuel Saunders (brother) Mary Bayly (sister) William Saunders (brother) Robert Page (grandson) Kae Miller (great-granddaughter) Sarah McMurray (niece)

**Alfred Saunders** (12 June 1820 – 28 October 1905) was a New Zealand farmer, reformer, women's suffrage and temperance advocate and politician.[2][3][4] He was Superintendent of Nelson Province and represented several electorate in the [House of Representatives](/source/New_Zealand_House_of_Representatives).

## Early life and family

Saunders was born in 1820 in [Market Lavington](/source/Market_Lavington), the youngest son of Mary and Amram Saunders. He was educated in Market Lavington and at a [Bristol](/source/Bristol) academy.[1] The temperance campaigner [Mary Bayly](/source/Mary_Bayly) was his sister,[5] [Samuel Saunders](/source/Samuel_Saunders_(vegetarian)) (1814–1908) was an older brother[6] and [William Saunders](/source/William_Saunders_(Liberal_politician)) (1823–1895) was a younger brother.[7]

He married Rhoda Flower in 1847.[1] They had ten children, including [Sarah Page](/source/Sarah_Page_(prohibitionist)) and [Samuel Saunders](/source/Samuel_Saunders_(journalist)).[8][9] Rhoda died in 1898.[10]

He was remarried in England in 1899 to Sarah Box.[11][1]

## Political career

New Zealand Parliament Years Term Electorate Party 1861–1864 3rd Waimea Independent 1878–1879 6th Cheviot Independent 1879–1881 7th Cheviot Independent 1889–1890 10th Lincoln Independent 1890–1893 11th Selwyn Independent 1893–1896 12th Selwyn Independent

He was elected onto the [Nelson Provincial Council](/source/Nelson_Province) representing Waimea South in 1855 and remained a councillor until his election of [Superintendent](/source/Superintendent_(New_Zealand)) for the Nelson Province from 1865 to 1867. He was elected as Member of Parliament for [Waimea](/source/Waimea_(New_Zealand_electorate)) in [1861](/source/1860%E2%80%931861_New_Zealand_general_election), and he resigned from this seat in 1864. He then represented [Cheviot](/source/Cheviot_(New_Zealand_electorate)) from 1878 to 1881 when he was defeated. He unsuccessfully contested the [1882 by-election](/source/1882_Wakanui_by-election) in the [Wakanui](/source/Wakanui_(New_Zealand_electorate)) electorate. He contested the [1888 by-election](/source/1888_Ashley_by-election) in the [Ashley](/source/Ashley_(New_Zealand_electorate)) electorate and was defeated by [John Verrall](/source/John_Verrall_(politician)) by just two votes.[12]

Saunders' gravestone at [Linwood Cemetery](/source/Linwood_Cemetery%2C_Christchurch)

From 1889 to 1890 he represented the [Lincoln electorate](/source/Lincoln_(New_Zealand_electorate)) and from 1890 to 1896 he represented [Selwyn](/source/Selwyn_(New_Zealand_electorate)), being defeated at the general election of 1896 for the latter constituency.[13] He supported the Temperance Union petition in favour of [woman's suffrage](/source/Women's_suffrage_in_New_Zealand) to [Parliament](/source/New_Zealand_Parliament) in 1891. He was involved, as an MP, in the political machinations to get legislation passed to give voting rights to New Zealand women, including during the final stages of the legislation in 1893. He also corresponded with the leader of the suffrage movement, [Kate Sheppard](/source/Kate_Sheppard), to keep her up-to-date with the fast-changing political situation in parliament as the legislation was being debated.[4]

## Authorship

Alfred Saunders was an author and his published titles include;

- "History of New Zealand" a comprehensive two volume publication (550 pages.) 1896–99. Contains much on early NZ Governments. Available on line.

- "The Perfect Draft Horse" 1886

- "Tales of a Pioneer" published by his daughters, 1927. Also available on line

- "Our Domestic Birds" 1883

- "Our Horses" 1885.

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-DNZB_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-DNZB_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-DNZB_1-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-DNZB_1-3) McGibbon, Ian. ["Saunders, Alfred"](https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1s1). *[Dictionary of New Zealand Biography](/source/Dictionary_of_New_Zealand_Biography)*. [Ministry for Culture and Heritage](/source/Ministry_for_Culture_and_Heritage). Retrieved 1 February 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Saunders, Alfred, 1820-1905"](https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22352891). *natlib.govt.nz*. Retrieved 12 February 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Wilson_3-0)** [Wilson, Jim](/source/Jim_Wilson_(librarian)) (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. *New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984* (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. [OCLC](/source/OCLC_(identifier)) [154283103](https://search.worldcat.org/oclc/154283103).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_4-1) Grimshaw, Patricia (1972). *Women's Suffrage in New Zealand*. Auckland: Auckland University Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9781869400217](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9781869400217).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Cale, Michelle (23 September 2004), ["Bayly \[née Saunders\], Mary (1816–1899), temperance activist and writer"](http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-50730), *Oxford Dictionary of National Biography*, Oxford University Press, [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1093/ref:odnb/50730](https://doi.org/10.1093%2Fref%3Aodnb%2F50730), [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-861412-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-861412-8), retrieved 19 May 2023{{[citation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Citation)}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_work_parameter_with_ISBN))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Gregory_2002_6-0)** Gregory, James Richard Thomas Elliott (2002). "Biographical Index of British Vegetarians and Food reformers of the Victorian Era". [*The Vegetarian Movement in Britain c.1840–1901: A Study of Its Development, Personnel and Wider Connections*](https://eprints.soton.ac.uk/467032/2/886115_v.2.pdf) (PDF). Vol. 2. [University of Southampton](/source/University_of_Southampton). p. 101.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["William Saunders – political firebrand"](https://marketlavingtonmuseum.wordpress.com/2013/04/19/william-saunders-political-firebrand/). Market Lavington Museum. 19 April 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-DNZB_Page_8-0)** Bohan, Edmund. ["Sarah Page"](https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/3p1). *[Dictionary of New Zealand Biography](/source/Dictionary_of_New_Zealand_Biography)*. [Ministry for Culture and Heritage](/source/Ministry_for_Culture_and_Heritage). Retrieved 5 December 2015.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Saunders, Samuel, 1857-1943"](https://natlib.govt.nz/records/22425541). *natlib.govt.nz*. Retrieved 3 February 2024.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Deaths"](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/THD18980527.2.8). *[Timaru Herald](/source/Timaru_Herald)*. Vol. LX, no. 2715. 27 May 1898. p. 5. Retrieved 14 February 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["News and Notes"](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/HNS18991122.2.7?end_date=31-12-1899&items_per_page=10&query=Robinson+Law+marriage&snippet=true&start_date=01-01-1899&type=ARTICLE). Papers Past (National Library of New Zealand ). 1899.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-12)** ["Ashley Election"](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=CHP18880731.2.33). *[The Press](/source/The_Press)*. Vol. XLV, no. 7132. 31 July 1888. p. 5. Retrieved 14 February 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Saunders_13-0)** "Mr. Alfred Saunders". [*The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Canterbury Provincial District*](https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Cyc03Cycl-t1-body1-d3-d57-d56.html#name-134515-mention). Christchurch: The Cyclopedia Company Limited. 1903. Retrieved 14 April 2010.

## Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Alfred Saunders](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Alfred_Saunders).

English [Wikisource](/source/Wikisource) has original works by or about:

**[Alfred Saunders](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/en:Author:Alfred_Saunders)**

- [Mennell, Philip](/source/Philip_Mennell) (1892). ["Saunders, Alfred"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Dictionary_of_Australasian_Biography/Saunders,_Alfred). *The Dictionary of Australasian Biography*. London: Hutchinson & Co – via [Wikisource](/source/Wikisource).

Political offices Preceded by John Perry Robinson Superintendent of Nelson Province 1865–1867 Succeeded by Oswald Curtis New Zealand Parliament Preceded by David Monro Fedor Kelling Member of Parliament for Waimea 1861–1864 Succeeded by John George Miles Preceded by Leonard Harper Member of Parliament for Cheviot 1878–1881 Succeeded by Hugh McIlraith Preceded by Arthur O'Callaghan Member of Parliament for Lincoln 1889–1890 Constituency abolished Preceded by John Hall Member of Parliament for Selwyn 1890–1896 Succeeded by Cathcart Wason

Authority control databases International VIAF FAST WorldCat National United States Other IdRef Yale LUX

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