{{short description|Australian and New Zealand politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=August 2014}} thumb|Vincent Pyke, ca 1877 '''Vincent Pyke''', born '''Vincent Pike''', (4 February 1827 – 5 June 1894) was a 19th-century politician in Otago, New Zealand and Victoria, Australia.
==Early life== Pyke was born in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England<ref name=Mennell>{{cite Australasia|Pyke, Hon. Vincent}}</ref> as Vincent Pike. He married Frances Renwick on 7 September 1846 at Bristol, England; they had four sons and one daughter. He changed the spelling of his surname some time after their wedding.<ref name="DNZB Pyke">{{DNZB|Hearn|T. J.|2p33|Pyke, Vincent - Biography|11 March 2012}}</ref>
==Australia== Pyke and family went to Australia in 1851, first to South Australia and then the gold diggings in Victoria where he spent two years as a miner around Forest Creek, Castlemaine and Fryer's Creek Bendigo<ref name=Mennell/> and opened a store at Forest Creek. Pyke was elected to represent Castlemaine in the Victorian Legislative Council from November 1855 to March 1856 and Castlemaine Boroughs in the Victorian Legislative Assembly from November 1856 to February 1857 and again from October 1859 and June 1862.<ref>{{Cite Parliament of Victoria Member Profile |name=Vincent Pyke |id=vincent-pyke |access-date=22 July 2025}}</ref>
In 1857, Pyke was appointed emigration agent in England in conjunction with the Right Hon. Hugh Childers.<ref name=Mennell/>
==New Zealand== {{NZ parlbox header|nolist=true|align=right}} {{NZ parlbox |start = {{By-election link year|Wakatipu|1873}} |end = 1875 |term = 5th |electorate = {{NZ electorate link|Wakatipu}} |party = Independent politician }} {{NZ parlbox |start = 1875<!-- election held on 27 December 1875 --> |end = 1879 |term = 6th |electorate = {{NZ electorate link|Dunstan}} |party = Independent politician }} {{NZ parlbox |start = {{NZ election link year|1879}} |end = 1881 |term = 7th |electorate = Dunstan |party = Independent politician }} {{NZ parlbox |start = {{NZ election link year|1881}} |end = 1884 |term = 8th |electorate = Dunstan |party = Independent politician }} {{NZ parlbox |start = {{NZ election link year|1884}} |end = 1887 |term = 9th |electorate = Dunstan |party = Independent politician }} {{NZ parlbox |start = {{NZ election link year|1887}} |end = 1890 |term = 10th |electorate = Dunstan |party = Independent politician }} {{NZ parlbox break}} {{NZ parlbox |start = {{NZ election link year|1893}} |end = 1894 |term = 12th |electorate = {{NZ electorate link|Tuapeka}} |party = New Zealand Liberal Party }} {{NZ parlbox footer}} In 1862 Pyke visited the Otago goldfields, and became Secretary or Commissioner of the goldfields for the Otago Provincial Council. He then moved to Dunstan and Clyde. He was the first Chairman of Vincent County, which was named after him following an ironic suggestion by an opponent.
He represented the electorates of Wakatipu {{By-election link year|Wakatipu|1873}}–1875, then Dunstan 1875<!-- election held on 27 December 1875 -->–1890.<ref name="Scholefield 1950"> {{cite book |last= Scholefield |first= Guy |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 |author-link=Guy Scholefield |edition=3rd |orig-year= First ed. published 1913 |year= 1950 |publisher=Govt. Printer |location= Wellington |page=133 }}</ref> He contested the {{NZ election link|1890}} in the {{NZ electorate link|Mount Ida}} electorate, but was beaten by Scobie Mackenzie.<ref name="DNZB Pyke" /> He then represented Tuapeka from 1893 to 1894 when he died.<ref name="Scholefield 1950" /> He was noted for his loyalty to Clyde and his Central Otago constituents.
Pyke was also a journalist, and wrote two novels about life on the goldfields, ''Wild Will Enderby'' (1873) and [https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-PykAdve.html ''The Adventures of George Washington Pratt''] (1874).
==Death== Pyke died at Lawrence, Otago, and is buried in the Dunedin Northern Cemetery.
==References== {{Reflist|45em}}
==External links== *[https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/name-122869.html five works by Pyke] from the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre *[https://nzhistory.govt.nz/media/photo/vincent-pyke-mp-cartoon Cartoon of Vincent Pyke in New Zealand Parliament]
{{s-start}} {{s-par | au-vic-lc}} {{s-new|creation}} {{s-ttl | title = Member for Castlemaine | years= November 1855 – March 1856 |with=James Atkin Wheeler}} {{s-non | reason = Original Council<br>abolished}} {{s-par|au-vic-la}} {{s-new|creation}} {{s-ttl | title = Member for Castlemaine Boroughs |alongside = Alexander Palmer | years=November 1856 – February 1857}} {{s-aft | after = Robert Sitwell}} {{s-new|creation}} {{s-ttl | title = Member for Castlemaine |alongside = John Macadam<br>Butler Cole Aspinall | years=October 1859 – June 1862}} {{s-aft | after = George Allen Smyth}} {{s-par | nz}} {{s-bef | before = Bendix Hallenstein}} {{s-ttl | title = Member of Parliament for Wakatipu | years=1873–1875}} {{s-aft | after = Henry Manders}} {{s-bef | before = Thomas Shepherd}} {{s-ttl | title = Member of Parliament for Dunstan | years=1875–1890}} {{s-non | reason = Electorate abolished}} {{s-bef | before = Hugh Valentine}} {{s-ttl | title = Member of Parliament for Tuapeka | years=1893–1894}} {{s-aft | after = William Larnach}} {{end}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Pyke, Vincent}} Category:1827 births Category:1894 deaths Category:Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Category:New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates Category:New Zealand Liberal Party MPs Category:New Zealand public servants Category:Local politicians in New Zealand Category:Members of the Victorian Legislative Council Category:Members of the Victorian Legislative Assembly Category:Vice-presidents of the Board of Land and Works Category:Presidents of the Board of Land and Works Category:Burials at Dunedin Northern Cemetery Category:People from Shepton Mallet Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1890 New Zealand general election Category:19th-century Australian politicians Category:19th-century New Zealand politicians Category:19th-century Australian public servants Category:People of the Otago gold rush Category:Ministers for public works (Victoria) Category:Commissioners of trade and customs (Victoria) Category:Commissioners of crown lands and survey (Victoria)