Reader Wood

{{Short description|New Zealand politician (1821–1895)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=May 2014}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = | name = Reader Wood | honorific_suffix = | image = Reader Wood.jpg | caption = Wood in his later years | order = 7th Colonial Treasurer | term_start = 12 July 1861 | term_end = 6 August 1862 | predecessor =  | successor =  | prime_minister = William Fox | term_start2 = 21 August 1862 | term_end2 = 24 November 1864 | predecessor2 =  | successor2 =  | prime_minister2 = Alfred Domett<br />Frederick Whitaker | order3 = 1st Minister for Colonial Defence | term_start3 = 22 July 1862 | term_end3 = 30 October 1863 | predecessor3 =  | successor3 =  | prime_minister3 = Alfred Domett | constituency_MP4 = Parnell | parliament4 = New Zealand | majority4 = | term_start4 = 1861 | term_end4 = 1865 | predecessor4 =  | successor4 =  | term_start5 = 1870 | term_end5 = 1878 | predecessor5 =  | successor5 =  | constituency_MP6 = Waitemata | parliament6 = New Zealand | majority6 = | term_start6 = 1879 | term_end6 = 1881 | predecessor6 =  | successor6 =  | birth_date = 1821 | birth_name = Reader Gillson Wood | birth_place = Highfields, Leicester, England | death_date = {{death date and age|1895|08|20|1821|||df=y}} | death_place = Parnell, New Zealand | resting_place = St Stephen's Cemetery, Parnell | resting_place_coordinates = | party = | other_party =  | spouse = Mary Jane Holland | partner =  | relatives = | children = One son | alma_mater = | occupation = Architect, land surveyor, politician | profession = | cabinet = | signature = }} '''Reader Gillson Wood''' (1821 – 20 August 1895) was a 19th-century New Zealand politician. An architect by trade, he designed the 1854 General Assembly House built as New Zealand's first meeting house for the House of Representatives.

==Early life== Wood, the son of Thomas and Sarah Wood, was baptised at the Church of St Mary de Castro, Leicester, Leicestershire, England, on 5 January 1821.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://search.ancestry.com.au/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=try&db=FS1EnglandBirthsandChristenings&h=143665990 |title=England, select births and christenings, 1538–1975 |year=2014 |publisher=Ancestry.com Operations |access-date=13 May 2015 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> He was educated at the Merchant Taylors' School, London.<ref name=Mennell>{{cite Australasia|Wood, Hon. Reader Gilson}}</ref> He was brought up as an architect, and shortly after his articles had expired left England for New Zealand, arriving in Auckland in 1844.<ref name=Mennell/>

==Life in Auckland== The Battle of Kororāreka happened in the Bay of Islands in March 1845 and there were fears that the fighting would spread to Auckland, which at the time was the capital of New Zealand.<ref>{{cite web |title=The sacking of Kororāreka |url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/war/northern-war/sacking-kororareka |publisher=Ministry for Culture and Heritage |access-date=24 May 2021 |date=2 April 2019}}</ref> Wood was made lieutenant of Volunteer Artillery, and was present at the attempted storming of Hōne Heke's pā at Ohaeawai on 1 July 1845. He was mentioned in Colonel Henry Despard's despatch describing that affair.<ref name=Mennell/> After the war Wood returned to Auckland, where he practised his profession of architect and surveyor. About 1848 he was employed by the Government as Inspector of Roads, afterwards he was appointed Deputy Surveyor-General, which office he retained until 1856.<ref name=Mennell/> He was tasked with the design of the General Assembly House, which was built in 1854 in Auckland as New Zealand's first meeting house for the House of Representatives.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=314}}

==Political career== {{NZ parlbox header|nolist=true|align=left}} {{NZ parlbox |start = 1861 |end = 1865 |term = 3rd |electorate = {{NZ electorate link|Parnell}} |party = Independent politician }} {{NZ parlbox break}} {{NZ parlbox |start = {{By-election link year|Parnell|1870}} |end = |term = 4th |electorate = Parnell |party = Independent politician }} {{NZ parlbox |start = {{NZ election link year|1871}} |end = 1875 |term = 5th |electorate = Parnell |party = Independent politician }} {{NZ parlbox |start = 1875 |end = 1878 |term = 6th |electorate = Parnell |party = Independent politician }} {{NZ parlbox break}} {{NZ parlbox |start = {{NZ election link year|1879}} |end = 1881 |term = 7th |electorate = {{NZ electorate link|Waitemata}} |party = Independent politician }} {{End}} Wood was elected to the Auckland Provincial Council in the Suburbs of Auckland electorate on 7 October 1857. He served for the duration of the third council until the end of the term on 12 September 1861.{{sfn|Scholefield|1950|p=186}}

Wood was the Member of Parliament for Parnell from January 1861 to 1865 (resigned), then {{By-election link year|Parnell|1870}} to 1878 (resigned); then for Waitemata from {{NZ election link year|1879}} to 1881, when he retired.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=247}} He also had a second term on the provincial council, where he represented the Parnell electorate on the seventh council from 29 November 1873 until the abolition of the provincial government system on 31 October 1876.{{sfn|Scholefield|1950|p=186}} From May to October 1875, he was part of the Auckland Executive Council (equivalent to a cabinet).{{sfn|Scholefield|1950|p=181}}

In the House of Representatives, he was a cabinet minister, including the positions of Minister of Finance (then called Colonial Treasurer) twice, and Minister of Defence (then called Minister of Colonial Defence). He was part of the Auckland wing of the Liberal Party, sometimes called the "Auckland Rats".

He stood in the {{NZ election link|1887}} in the {{NZ electorate link|Waitemata}} electorate and was defeated by Richard Monk.<ref name="Waitemata nomination, 1887">{{cite news|title=Waitemata |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS18870917.2.48.4 |access-date=17 April 2012|work=Auckland Star|volume=XVIII|issue=218|date=17 September 1887|page=8}}</ref>{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=220}}

==Later life== Wood later became chairman of the Auckland Gas Company following his retirement from politics.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jones |first1=Martin|title=Melanesian Mission Building and Stone Garden Walls |url=https://www.heritage.org.nz/list-details/111/Melanesian-Mission-Building-and-Stone-Garden-Walls |website=Heritage New Zealand |date=8 August 2001}}</ref>

==Private life and death== On 20 May 1850, he married Mary Jane Holland at St Paul's Church, Auckland's oldest Anglican church.<ref name="Te Ara">{{cite book |title=An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand |orig-year=First published in 1966 |publisher=Ministry for Culture and Heritage / Te Manatū Taonga |url= https://teara.govt.nz/en/1966/wood-reader-gillson | editor-first=A. H. |editor-last=McLintock |editor-link=Alexander Hare McLintock | first=Bernard John | last=Foster |chapter=Wood, Reader Gillson |date=1966}}</ref> He died at his home in Parnell, Auckland, on 20 August 1895, leaving his widow and one son, and was buried at St Stephen's Cemetery, Parnell.<ref>{{cite news | url= http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS18950821.2.7 | title=Death of Mr Reader Wood | date=21 August 1895 | work= Auckland Star | access-date=13 May 2015 | page=2 }}</ref> ==Notes== {{Reflist}}

==References== *{{cite book |authorlink = Guy Scholefield | last = Scholefield | first= Guy | title = New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 | edition = 3rd | orig-date=First published in 1913 | year = 1950 |publisher = Govt. Printer |location = Wellington}} *{{Cite book |last= Wilson |first= Jim | author-link=Jim Wilson (librarian) |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 |edition= 4th |orig-year= First ed. published 1913 |year= 1985 |publisher=V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer |location= Wellington |oclc=154283103}}

{{s-start}} {{s-gov}} {{S-bef | before = William Richmond}} {{s-ttl | rows = 2 | title= Colonial Treasurer |years=1861–1862<br>1862–1864}} {{s-aft | after = Dillon Bell}} {{S-bef | before = Dillon Bell}} {{S-aft | after = William Fitzherbert}} {{S-new | office }} {{s-ttl | title = Minister for Colonial Defence | years=1862–1863}} {{s-aft | after = Harry Atkinson}} |- {{s-par | nz}} {{s-new | constituency}} {{s-ttl | rows=2 | title = Member of Parliament for Parnell| years=1861–1865<br>1870–1878}} {{s-aft | after = Robert Creighton}} {{s-bef | before = Charles Heaphy}} {{s-aft | after = Frederick Moss}} {{s-bef | before = John Macfarlane}} {{s-ttl | title = Member of Parliament for Waitemata|years=1879–1981}} {{s-aft | after= William Hurst}} {{end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wood, Reader}} Category:1821 births Category:1895 deaths Category:Politicians from Leicester Category:English emigrants to New Zealand Category:Members of the Auckland Provincial Council Category:Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand Category:Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Category:Ministers of defence of New Zealand Category:Ministers of finance of New Zealand Category:New Zealand Liberal Party MPs Category:New Zealand public servants Category:New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1887 New Zealand general election Category:Burials at St Stephen's Cemetery, Parnell Category:19th-century New Zealand architects Category:Members of Auckland provincial executive councils Category:People educated at Merchant Taylors' School, Northwood

Reader Wood

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