Edwin Blake

Blake was born in Hampstead, England.{{cite book |title=The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Canterbury Provincial District |year=1903 |url= https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Cyc03Cycl-t1-body1-d3-d6-d39.html |publisher=The Cyclopedia of New Zealand |access-date= 3 May 2011 |location=Christchurch |chapter=Mr. Edwin Blake}} He and his brother Walter were both educated at Wimborne{{sfn|Scholefield|1940|p=74}} and then Eton College.{{sfn|Holm|2005|p=192}} Edwin Blake was a civil engineer and surveyor. In England, he worked on railway projects.{{sfn|Scholefield|1940|p=74}}

Edwin Blake came to Otago in 1861 and moved to Christchurch in 1863.{{sfn|Scholefield|1940|p=74}} The West Coast gold rush necessitated overland connections between Christchurch and the West Coast. Early in 1865, the Blake brothers had a contract with the Canterbury Provincial Council to improve the track over Harper Pass, the {{convert|962|m}} high pass connecting the Hurunui and Taramakau Rivers.{{sfn|Holm|2005|p=192}} This contract was completed by April of that year, and Walter Blake was then put in charge of sections of the dray road built over Arthur's Pass, but the contract was soon assigned to Edwin Blake.{{sfn|Holm|2005|pp=195, 232}} One of the sections was adjacent to Lake Brunner, at the time still part of the route to the West Coast. This was soon superseded by a more direct route built by Walter Blake that followed the Taramakau River. Edwin Blake was then commissioned to widen the track through the Otira Valley down to the Taipo River.{{sfn|Holm|2005|pp=236f, 239}} When the road construction projects were completed, Blake settled on the West Coast.{{sfn|Scholefield|1940|p=74}}

In the {{NZ election link|1881}}, Blake contested the {{NZ electorate link|Kumara}} electorate, but was beaten by 700 to 624 votes by Richard Seddon.{{sfn|Cooper|1882|p=2}} He moved back to Christchurch in 1882,{{sfn|Scholefield|1940|p=74}} but contested the Kumara electorate once again in the {{NZ election link|1884}};{{cite news|title=Nominations |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=GRA18840716.2.9.7 |access-date=15 April 2012|work=Grey River Argus|volume=XXXI |issue=4931 |date=16 July 1884|page=2}} the incumbent Seddon again won the contest.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=233}} Blake represented the Avon electorate from the 1887 Avon by-election to {{NZ election link year|1893}},{{sfn|Scholefield|1950|p=96}}{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=185}} when he was defeated standing in the {{NZ electorate link|Lyttelton}} electorate.{{cite book |title=The General Election, 1893 |year=1894 |publisher=Government Printer |url= https://atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs?a=d&cl=search&d=AJHR1894-I.2.3.2.21 |access-date=19 November 2013 |page=2}}

He died on 18 March 1914 and was buried at Linwood Cemetery.{{cite web|title=Christchurch City Council Cemeteries Database|url=http://librarydata.christchurch.org.nz/Cemeteries/interment.asp?id=26326|publisher=Christchurch City Libraries|access-date=3 May 2011|archive-date=13 July 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120713174951/http://librarydata.christchurch.org.nz/Cemeteries/interment.asp?id=26326|url-status=dead}} Blakes Road in Belfast is named for him and his younger brother John William.{{cite web |url= http://christchurchcitylibraries.com/Heritage/PlaceNames/ChristchurchStreetNames-B.pdf |title=Christchurch Street Names B |last=Harper |first=Margaret |publisher=Christchurch City Libraries |page=72 |access-date=4 May 2011}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book

|first1 = G. S.

|last1 = Cooper

|title = Votes Recorded for Each Candidate

|year = 1882

|publisher = Government Printer

|url = https://atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs?a=d&cl=search&d=AJHR1882-I.2.2.4.1

|access-date = 29 December 2016

}}

• {{cite book

|last= Holm

|first= Janet

|title= Caught Mapping: The Life and Times of New Zealand's Early Surveyors

|year= 2005

|publisher=Hazard Press

|location= Christchurch

|isbn= 1-877270-86-5

}}

• {{cite book | editor-last = Scholefield | editor-first = Guy | editor-link = Guy Scholefield | title = A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography : A–L | volume = I | year = 1940 | publisher = Department of Internal Affairs | location = Wellington | url = https://www.nzhistory.net.nz/files/documents/dnzb-1940/scholefield-dnzb-v1.pdf | access-date = 29 December 2016}}
• {{Cite book |last= Scholefield |first= Guy |author-link=Guy Scholefield |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 |edition=3rd |orig-year= First ed. published 1913 |year= 1950 |publisher=Govt. Printer |location= Wellington}}
• {{Cite book |last= Wilson |first= James Oakley |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-par | nz}}

{{s-bef | before = Leonard Harper}}

{{s-ttl | title = Member of Parliament for Avon|years=1887–1893}}

{{s-aft | after = William Tanner}}

{{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Edwin}}

Category:1830 births

Category:1914 deaths

Category:People educated at Eton College

Category:Burials at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch

Category:British emigrants to New Zealand

Category:New Zealand Liberal Party MPs

Category:New Zealand MPs for Christchurch electorates

Category:Independent MPs of New Zealand

Category:Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives

Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1881 New Zealand general election

Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1884 New Zealand general election

Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1893 New Zealand general election

Category:19th-century New Zealand politicians