Henry Michel
{{Short description|New Zealand politician}}
{{for|the civil engineer|Henry Ludwig Michel}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2016}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=November 2016}}
{{infobox person
| image = British & Intercolonial Exhibition 1923 Michel.jpeg
| caption = Michel in 1913
| name = Henry Michel
| birth_date = 1855
| birth_place = Newcastle, Colony of New South Wales
| death_date = {{death date and age|1930|3|4|1855|df=y}}
}}
Henry Leslie Michel (1855 – 4 March 1930) was Mayor of Hokitika for several years, and served on the New Zealand Legislative Council from 1918 until his death. He had stood for the New Zealand Parliament on four occasions, in later years for the Reform Party, but was unsuccessful.
Early life
Michel was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, and came to New Zealand as a boy. He settled in Hokitika and received his education at Scott's Academy. He joined the merchant firm of Paterson & Co, in which he became a partner (the firm then known as Paterson, Michel & Co) and later managing director.{{sfn|Scholefield|1940|pp=82f}}
Public life
=Hokitika=
File:Hokitika Clock Tower 280.JPG]]
Michel was first elected to the Hokitika Borough Council in 1885. He was a member of the borough council for 25 years, and was Mayor of Hokitika for a total of 16 years spread over various periods starting in 1886.{{sfn|Scholefield|1940|pp=82f}} He served on various other local boards.{{cite news |title=Obituary |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19300304.2.48 |access-date=28 December 2013 |work=The Evening Post |date=4 March 1930 |volume=CIX |issue=53 |page=8}}{{cite news |title=Hon. H. L. Michel Dead |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS19300304.2.12 |access-date=28 December 2013 |work=Auckland Star |date=4 March 1930 |volume=LXI |issue=53 |page=3}} Starting in 1900, he was the driving force behind the Hokitika Clock Tower; it was unveiled in June 1903.{{cite news |title=Grand concert and entertainment |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WCT19010316.2.16 |access-date=8 September 2020 |work=West Coast Times |issue=11850 |date=16 March 1901 |page=3}}
=National politics=
Michel received a requisition to stand for Parliament in the {{NZ election link|1887}}, but he declined.
Upon Richard Seddon's death, he contested the resulting {{By-election link|Westland|1906}} in the {{NZ electorate link|Westland}} electorate, but was defeated by Seddon's son Tom Seddon. He unsuccessfully stood against Seddon two more times, in {{NZ election link year|1908}}, and in {{NZ election link year|1911}} for the Reform Party, when he was defeated in the first ballot.{{cite web |title=The General Election, 1908 |url= https://atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs?a=d&d=AJHR1909-II.2.5.2.12 |publisher=National Library |access-date=14 April 2012 |pages=15–16 | year=1909}}{{cite web |title=The General Election, 1911 |url= https://atojs.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/atojs?a=d&d=AJHR1912-II.2.4.2.20 |publisher=National Library |access-date=1 August 2013 |page=3 | year=1912}} After the death of Sir Arthur Guinness, he contested the {{NZ electorate link|Grey}} electorate in the resulting {{By-election link|Grey|1913}}. Of three candidates, he came first in the first ballot.{{cite news |title=Declaration of Result of Poll and Notification of Second Ballot |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=GRA19130724.2.5.4 |work=Grey River Argus |page=1 |date=24 July 1913 |access-date=13 August 2011}} In the second ballot, the unsuccessful Liberal Party supported Paddy Webb of the Social Democratic Party, and Webb was elected.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=244}}
Michel was a member of the Legislative Council from 7 May 1918 to 6 May 1925, and then from 7 May 1925 to 4 March 1930, when he died. He was appointed by the Reform Government.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=154}}
He was buried in Hokitika Cemetery.{{cite web |url=http://public.westland.govt.nz/cgi-bin/cemetery/cepp?key=20792 |title=Cemetery enquiry |date= |website= |publisher=Westland District Council |access-date=11 October 2014}}
Notes
{{Reflist}}
References
- {{cite book
|editor-last = Scholefield
|editor-first = Guy Hardy
|editor-link = Guy Scholefield
|title = A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography : M–Addenda
|volume = II
|year = 1940
|publisher = Department of Internal Affairs
|location = Wellington
|url = https://www.nzhistory.net.nz/files/documents/dnzb-1940/scholefield-dnzb-v2.pdf
|access-date = 28 December 2013
|archive-date = 27 March 2014
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140327073420/https://www.nzhistory.net.nz/files/documents/dnzb-1940/scholefield-dnzb-v2.pdf
|url-status = dead
}}
- {{cite book |last= Wilson |first= James Oakley |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 |edition= 4th |orig-year=First published in 1913 |year= 1985 |publisher=V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer |location= Wellington |oclc= 154283103}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Michel, Henry}}
Category:Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council
Category:Reform Party (New Zealand) MLCs
Category:People from Newcastle, New South Wales
Category:Australian emigrants to New Zealand
Category:Local politicians in New Zealand
Category:Burials at Hokitika Cemetery
Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1908 New Zealand general election
Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1911 New Zealand general election
Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1914 New Zealand general election