Richard Molesworth Taylor

Richard Molesworth Taylor
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Sydenham
In office
1886–1890
Preceded byWilliam White
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for City of Christchurch
In office
1890–1893
Serving with William Pember Reeves, Westby Perceval (1890 – 91) and Ebenezer Sandford (1891 – 1893)
Succeeded byWilliam Whitehouse Collins
Personal details
Born1835
London, England
Died (aged 85)
Wellington, New Zealand
Spouse
Laura Augusta Gray
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(m. 1887; died 1903)​

Richard Molesworth Taylor (1835 – 26 August 1919), also known as Sydenham Taylor, was a three-term New Zealand Member of Parliament. Born in London in 1835, he moved to Auckland on the Heather Bell in 1846. He travelled to Victoria in 1851, and later to New South Wales and participated in the gold rush before returning to Auckland in 1857. There he briefly joined the militia, serving in the New Zealand Wars, before becoming a government contractor. In 1869 he moved to Canterbury, working as a general contractor until becoming a Member of Parliament in 1886.[1]

  1. ^ "Mr. Richard Molesworth Taylor". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand - Canterbury Provincial District. Christchurch: The Cyclopedia Company Limited. 1903. Retrieved 13 March 2010.