James FitzGerald (New Zealand politician)

James FitzGerald
formal portrait of an older man
James Edward Fitzgerald c. 1890
6th Minister of Native Affairs
In office
12 August 1865 – 16 October 1865
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Lyttelton
In office
1853–1857
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Ellesmere
In office
1862–1866
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for City of Christchurch
In office
1866–1867
1st Superintendent of Canterbury Province
In office
20 July 1853 – Oct 1857
Personal details
Born
James Edward FitzGerald

4 March 1818
Bath, England
Died2 August 1896(1896-08-02) (aged 78)
Wellington, New Zealand
SpouseFrances (Fanny) Erskine Draper (married 1850)
RelationsRichard Fitzgerald (grandfather)
Lucius O'Brien (grandfather)
Gerard Fitzgerald (brother)
Signature

James Edward FitzGerald (4 March 1818 – 2 August 1896) was a New Zealand politician. According to some historians,[1] he should be considered the country's first premier, although a more conventional view is that neither he nor his successor should properly be given that title. He was a notable campaigner for New Zealand self-governance. He was the first Superintendent of the Canterbury Province.

  1. ^ Mennell, Philip (1892). "FitzGerald, James Edward" . The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co – via Wikisource.