Isaac Featherston

Featherston was born in Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland on 21 March 1813, to Thomas Featherston and Jane (Earl) Featherston. Although he spent a significant amount of time playing sports, specifically football, as a youngster he was also quite academic and qualified in medicine at the University of Edinburgh in 1836. On 10 December 1839, he married Bethia Campbell Scott (1816–1864), a daughter of Andrew Scott, of Edinburgh.{{Sfn|Mennell|1892}}

After working as a physician in Italy and across Europe, he emigrated to New Zealand due to problems with tuberculosis, leaving in December 1840 in hope of a cure in more suitable climate.{{Cite web |title=Isaac Featherston {{!}} NZHistory, New Zealand history online |url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/people/isaac-featherston |access-date=2023-06-20 |website=nzhistory.govt.nz}} He arrived in Wellington in May 1841 on the New Zealand Company ship Olympus as surgeon-superintendent.

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In 1845, Featherston became the first editor of the Wellington Independent. He served in the first, second, third, and fourth Parliaments. He represented the Wanganui and Rangitikei electorate in the first parliament until he resigned on 9 August 1855, and then represented the City of Wellington electorate in the second, third and fourth parliaments. In 1858, he resigned his seat in Parliament{{cite news|url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=OW18580605.2.11|title=HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.|date=5 June 1858|issue=340|work=Otago Witness|pages=5|access-date=30 April 2010}} and his Wellington superintendency, apparently wanting to return to England. Instead, he successfully stood for re-election in both positions within months.{{cite web |url=http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/dnzb/default.asp?Find_Quick.asp?PersonEssay=1F4 |title=Featherston, Isaac Earl 1813–1876 |last=Hamer |first=David |date=22 June 2007 |publisher=Dictionary of New Zealand Biography |access-date=3 July 2010}}

Featherston was Colonial Secretary (forerunner to the modern Minister of Internal Affairs) in 1861, and a Minister without Portfolio from 1869 to 1871, having been appointed in both instances by William Fox.

Featherston was also heavily involved in the politics of Wellington Province. He was elected unopposed as the first Superintendent from 1853. He resigned from this post on 23 April 1858.{{cite book |last= Scholefield |first= Guy |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 |author-link=Guy Scholefield |edition=3rd |orig-year= First ed. published 1913 |year= 1950 |publisher=Govt. Printer |location= Wellington |page=234}} He was re-elected on 28 June 1858 and held the post until 1870. His superintendence oversaw some slow growth in Wellington before in 1865 it became the capital of the colony.{{cite book |last=Hamer |first=David|editor-last1=Hamer|editor-first1=David|editor-last2=Nicholls|editor-first2=Roberta |date=1990 |title=The Making of Wellington 1800-1914 |chapter=Wellington on the Urban Frontier|publisher=Victoria University Press|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WXBhKYXi61kC |location=Wellington, New Zealand |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=WXBhKYXi61kC&q=247 247]–248|isbn= 0-86473-200-7}} From 1871 he was the first Agent-General for the colony in London, the precursor to the High Commissioner.{{cite book |url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/featherston-dr-isaac-earl/1 |title=An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand |date=11 August 2009 |publisher=Ministry for Culture and Heritage |editor-last=McLintock |editor-first=A. H. |editor-link=Alexander Hare McLintock |chapter=Featherston, Dr Isaac Earl |access-date=3 July 2010 |orig-year=originally published in 1966}}

When war broke out in 1860, Featherston criticised the Government's handling of events, and lent his influence to tribal peacemaking and keeping much of Wellington Province out of the conflict. During the Second Taranaki War (1863–1866), Featherston raised auxiliaries of Māori, but they refused to fight unless he himself led them. Despite suffering from tuberculosis and at times being unable to sit on his horse, he indeed led them and accompanied Major General Trevor Chute on his west coast campaign and march to Mount Egmont. He led a Māori contingent in several engagements, notably at Otapawa, and later alongside Gustavus von Tempsky.

This saga gave rise to the Featherston legend: he was described leading his men into battle "in his dressing gown, with a cigar in his mouth, having no weapon whatever with which to defend himself". He was subsequently awarded the New Zealand Cross for bravery.

A duel on 24 March 1847 was fought in Wellington between Colonel William Wakefield and Featherston over a newspaper editorial of Featherston on the New Zealand Company land policy which questioned Wakefield's honesty. Featherston fired and missed. Then Wakefield fired into the air, saying he would not shoot a man with seven daughters.{{cite book |title=An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand |orig-year=originally published in 1966 |publisher=Ministry for Culture and Heritage |url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/duels/1 | editor-first=A. H. | editor-last=McLintock | editor-link=Alexander Hare McLintock |access-date=3 July 2010 |chapter=Duell |date=23 April 2009}}

In his many escapades Featherston had acquired great mana.{{Cite web |title=Featherston, Isaac Earl |url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/1f4/featherston-isaac-earl |website=Te Ara}} He also left a political legacy in his eight daughters. They included: Laetitia, who married James Menzies; Kate, who married John Cargill; Frances, who married William FitzGerald (son of James FitzGerald); Alice, who married Sir Charles Johnston; and Octavia, who married Alfred Newman.{{cite news |date=1 October 1869 |title=Marriages |volume=XII |page=5 |work=Colonist |issue=1254 |url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=TC18691001.2.20 |access-date=14 November 2015}}{{cite news |date=11 September 1869 |title=News of the Week |page=13 |work=Otago Witness |issue=928 |url=http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=OW18690911.2.41 |access-date=14 November 2015}}

He was described as a complex and resolute figure, awed by his peers; yet also quiet with a soft, well-spoken voice, very genial and fond of a joke.

The town of Featherston in the Wairarapa is named after him, as are Featherston Street in Wellington and Featherston Street in Palmerston North.

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{{s-ttl | title = Superintendent of Wellington Province | years=1853–1858
1858–1870}}

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{{s-ttl | title = Member of Parliament for Wanganui and Rangitikei|years=1853–1855}}

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{{s-ttl | title = Member of Parliament for Wellington |alongside = Charles Clifford, William Waring Taylor, William Fitzherbert, William Barnard Rhodes and Charles Borlase |years = 1855–1870}}

{{s-aft | after = George Hunter, Edward Pearce}}

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{{s-ttl|title= Agent-General of New Zealand in the United Kingdom |years=1871–1876}}

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Category:1813 births

Category:1876 deaths

Category:Burials at Bolton Street Cemetery

Category:Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives

Category:Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand

Category:Members of the Wellington Provincial Council

Category:Superintendents of New Zealand provincial councils

Category:19th-century New Zealand medical doctors

Category:People of the New Zealand Wars

Category:British emigrants to New Zealand

Category:Politicians from Newcastle upon Tyne

Category:Alumni of the University of Edinburgh

Category:New Zealand duellists

Category:Recipients of the New Zealand Cross (1869)

Category:New Zealand MPs for Wellington electorates

Category:New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates

Category:Colonial secretaries of New Zealand

Category:High commissioners of New Zealand to the United Kingdom

Category:Johnston family