Oswald Curtis

{{Short description|New Zealand politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}} {{Use British English|date=November 2019}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Oswald Curtis | image = Oswald Curtis.jpg | alt = | caption = | constituency_MP3 = [[Nelson (New Zealand electorate)|City of Nelson]] | parliament3 = New Zealand | majority3 = | term_start3 = 20 February 1866 | term_end3 = 11 August 1879 | predecessor3 =  | successor3 =  | birth_date = 20 January 1821 | birth_place = [[London]], England | death_date = {{death date and age|1902|03|1|1821|01|20|df=y}} | death_place = [[Nelson, New Zealand|Nelson]], New Zealand | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | birth_name = | spouse = | relations = | children = | alma_mater = | occupation = | profession = Merchant, politician }} '''Oswald Curtis''' (20 January 1821 – 1 March 1902) was a 19th-century New Zealand politician born in London, England. He served on the [[Nelson Provincial Council]] and became the council's Superintendent for the last province's last ten years. In parallel, he represented the [[Nelson (New Zealand electorate)|City of Nelson electorate]] in parliament from 1866 to 1879.

==Early life== Curtis was born on 20 January 1821 in London. He was the son of Stephen Curtis and Eleanora Llewellyn.<ref name="Colonist obit" /> Together with his elder brother [[Herbert Curtis|Herbert]],{{sfn|Scholefield|1940|p=186}} he migrated to [[Nelson, New Zealand|Nelson]] in 1853, arriving on 18 June.<ref name="Colonist obit">{{cite news |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TC19020303.2.10 |title=Obituary |work=[[The Colonist (New Zealand newspaper)|The Colonist]] |volume=XLV |issue=10347 |date=3 March 1902 |page=2}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NEM19020303.2.7 | title=Obituary |work=[[Nelson Evening Mail]] |volume=XXXVI |issue=52 |date=3 March 1902 |page=2}}</ref>

== ''Mahomed Shah'' == The Curtis brothers had been passengers on the barque ''Mahomed Shah''. The ship sailed from England for New Zealand on 15 January 1853. On 18 April, about {{convert|400|nmi|lk=in}} south of [[Cape Leeuwin]], the ship caught fire. All on board were rescued two days later by the brig ''The Ellen'' under Captain Pardon. ''The Ellen'' was sailing from [[Mauritius]] to [[Hobart]], [[Tasmania]]. The ship's position was given as {{coord|40|10|00|S|119|10|00|E|type:landmark|display=inline}}.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TC19200315.2.27 |title=A pioneer settler |work=[[The Colonist (New Zealand newspaper)|The Colonist]] |volume=LXII |issue=15326 |date=15 March 1920 |page=5}}</ref> Those rescued were taken to Hobart, arriving there on 6 May 1853.<ref>{{cite news |title=A pioneer settler |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TC19200317.2.48.15 |access-date=9 June 2025 |work=[[The Colonist (New Zealand newspaper)|The Colonist]] |volume=LXII |issue=15328 |date=17 March 1920 |page=1 (Supplement)}}</ref>

== Political career == {{NZ parlbox header|nolist=true|align=left}} {{NZ parlbox |start = {{NZ election link year|1866}} |end = 1870 |term = 4th |electorate = {{NZ electorate link|City of Nelson}} |party = Independent politician }} {{NZ parlbox |start = {{NZ election link year|1871}} |end = 1875 |term = 5th |electorate = City of Nelson |party = Independent politician }} {{NZ parlbox |start = [[1875–1876 New Zealand general election|1875]] |end = 1879 |term = 6th |electorate = City of Nelson |party = Independent politician }} {{End}} He was a member of the [[Nelson Province|Nelson Provincial Council]] from 1857 to 1867,{{sfn|Scholefield|1950|p=212}} becoming its [[Superintendent (politics)|Superintendent]] in March 1867 when [[Alfred Saunders]] resigned. He remained Superintendent until 1876 when the Provinces were abolished.{{sfn|Scholefield|1950|p=209}} Curtis was also a member of parliament for the [[Nelson (New Zealand electorate)|City of Nelson]] from {{NZ election link year|1866}} to 1879, when he was defeated.{{sfn|Scholefield|1950|p=102}} During his term as a member of Parliament, for one month between 10 September and 11 October 1872 Curtis was Commissioner of Stamps and Customs, Post-Master General and Telegraphs Commissioner under the short-lived [[Stafford Ministry, 1872|third Stafford Ministry]].{{sfn|Scholefield|1950|p=34}}

As Superintendent, Curtis opened the Nelson Waterworks on 16 April 1868 and turned the first sod at Stoke for the cutting of the [[Nelson section|Nelson–Foxhill Railway]] on 6 May 1873.<ref>{{cite news |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TC19050330.2.12.1 |title=The Nelson Waterworks |work=[[The Colonist (New Zealand newspaper)|The Colonist]] |volume=XLVII |issue=11294 |date=30 March 1905 |page=2}}</ref>

== Community service == Curtis had been, at various times, Magistrate, Warden, Coroner, [[Nelson College|College Governor]] at Nelson. He was also Fellow of the New Zealand University and held a seat on its senate from 1870 to 1888.<ref>{{cite news |title=Obituary |work=[[The Star (Christchurch)|The Star]] |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TS19020303.2.53 |issue=7362 |date=3 March 1902 |page=3}}</ref>

Curtis was also the second President of the Nelson Chamber of Commerce, succeeding Alfred Fell (father of [[Charles Fell]]).<ref>{{cite news |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NEM19090608.2.19 |title=Early History of the Chamber of Commerce |work=[[Nelson Evening Mail]] |volume=XLIII |date=8 June 1909 |page=2}}</ref>

He died at his residence ''Highbury'' in Nelson on 1 March 1902, aged 81.<ref>{{cite news |title=Death |work=[[The Colonist (New Zealand newspaper)|The Colonist]] |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TC19020303.2.6 |volume=XLV |issue=10347 |date=3 March 1902 |page=2}}</ref>

==Notes== {{Reflist}}

==References== {{Commons category}} *{{cite book | editor-last = Scholefield | editor-first = Guy | editor-link = Guy Scholefield | title = A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography : A–L | volume = I | year = 1940 | publisher = [[Department of Internal Affairs]] | location = Wellington | url = https://nzhistory.govt.nz/sites/default/files/documents/dnzb-1940/scholefield-dnzb-v1.pdf }} *{{Cite book |last= Scholefield |first= Guy |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 |authorlink=Guy Scholefield |edition=3rd |orig-year= First ed. published 1913 |year= 1950 |publisher=Govt. Printer |location= Wellington}}

{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=[[Alfred Saunders]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Nelson Province|Superintendent of Nelson Province]]|years=1867–1876}} {{s-non | reason = Provincial Councils abolished}} |- {{s-bef | before = [[Julius Vogel]]}} {{s-ttl | title = [[Postmaster-General (New Zealand)|Postmaster-General]] | years=1872}} {{s-aft | rows=2 | after = Julius Vogel}} |- {{s-new}} {{s-ttl | title = [[Postmaster-General (New Zealand)|Telegraph Commissioner]] | years=1872}} |- {{s-par | nz}} {{s-bef | before = [[Alfred Domett]] }} {{s-ttl | title = [[Nelson (New Zealand electorate)|Member of Parliament for Nelson]] | years = 1866–1879 | alongside = [[Edward Stafford (politician)|Edward Stafford]], [[Nathaniel Edwards (politician)|Nathaniel Edwards]],<br>[[Martin Lightband]], [[David Luckie]], [[John Sharp (New Zealand politician)|John Sharp]], [[Acton Adams]] }} {{s-aft | after = [[Albert Pitt]] }} {{end}} {{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Curtis, Oswald}} [[Category:1821 births]] [[Category:1902 deaths]] [[Category:Superintendents of New Zealand provincial councils]] [[Category:Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives]] [[Category:Members of the Nelson Provincial Council]] [[Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1879 New Zealand general election]] [[Category:New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates]] [[Category:People from London]] [[Category:British emigrants to New Zealand]]