Julius Vogel

Sir Julius Vogel
8th Premier of New Zealand
In office
8 April 1873 – 6 July 1875
MonarchVictoria
GovernorJames Fergusson
George Phipps
Preceded byWilliam Fox
Succeeded byDaniel Pollen
In office
15 February 1876 – 1 September 1876
MonarchVictoria
GovernorGeorge Phipps
Preceded byDaniel Pollen
Succeeded byHarry Atkinson
Personal details
Born(1835-02-24)24 February 1835
London, UK
Died12 March 1899(1899-03-12) (aged 64)
Molesey, Surrey, UK
Resting placeWillesden Jewish Cemetery, London, UK
Political partyNone
SpouseMary Clayton (m. 1867)
Children4
RelativesWilliam Clayton (father-in-law)
Signature

Sir Julius Vogel KCMG (24 February 1835 – 12 March 1899) was the eighth premier of New Zealand. His administration is best remembered for the issuing of bonds to fund railway construction and other public works. He was the first Jewish prime minister of New Zealand. Historian Warwick R. Armstrong assesses Vogel's strengths and weaknesses:

Vogel's politics were like his nature, imaginative – and occasionally brilliant – but reckless and speculative. He was an excellent policymaker but he needed a strong leader to restrain him....Yet Vogel had vision. He saw New Zealand as a potential 'Britain of the South Seas', strong both in agriculture and in industry, and inhabited by a large and flourishing population.[1]

  1. ^ Warwick Robert Armstrong, "VOGEL, Sir Julius, K.C.M.G." An Encyclopedia of New Zealand 1966 (1966)