Vincent Pyke

File:Vincent Pyke, ca 1877.jpg

Vincent Pyke, born Vincent Pike, (4 February 1827 – 5 June 1894) was a 19th-century politician in Otago, New Zealand and Victoria, Australia.

Early life

Pyke was born in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England{{cite Australasia|Pyke, Hon. Vincent}} as Vincent Pike. He married Frances Renwick on 7 September 1846 at Bristol, England; they had four sons and one daughter. He changed the spelling of his surname some time after their wedding.{{DNZB|Hearn|T. J.|2p33|Pyke, Vincent - Biography|11 March 2012}}

Australia

Pyke and family went to Australia in 1851, first to South Australia and then the gold diggings in Victoria where he spent two years as a miner around Forest Creek, Castlemaine and Fryer's Creek Bendigo and opened a store at Forest Creek. Pyke was elected to represent Castlemaine in the Victorian Legislative Council from November 1855 to March 1856 and Castlemaine Boroughs in the Victorian Legislative Assembly from November 1856 to February 1857 and again from October 1859 and June 1862.{{cite web

|title = Pyke, Vincent

|publisher = Parliament of Victoria

|url = http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/re-member/bioregfull.cfm?mid=660

|access-date = 1 September 2014

}}

In 1857, Pyke was appointed emigration agent in England in conjunction with the Right Hon. Hugh Childers.

New Zealand

{{NZ parlbox

|start = {{By-election link year|Wakatipu|1873}}

|end = 1875

|term = 5th

|electorate = {{NZ electorate link|Wakatipu}}

|party = Independent politician

}}

{{NZ parlbox

|start = 1875

|end = 1879

|term = 6th

|electorate = {{NZ electorate link|Dunstan}}

|party = Independent politician

}}

{{NZ parlbox

|start = {{NZ election link year|1879}}

|end = 1881

|term = 7th

|electorate = Dunstan

|party = Independent politician

}}

{{NZ parlbox

|start = {{NZ election link year|1881}}

|end = 1884

|term = 8th

|electorate = Dunstan

|party = Independent politician

}}

{{NZ parlbox

|start = {{NZ election link year|1884}}

|end = 1887

|term = 9th

|electorate = Dunstan

|party = Independent politician

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{{NZ parlbox

|start = {{NZ election link year|1887}}

|end = 1890

|term = 10th

|electorate = Dunstan

|party = Independent politician

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{{NZ parlbox

|start = {{NZ election link year|1893}}

|end = 1894

|term = 12th

|electorate = {{NZ electorate link|Tuapeka}}

|party = New Zealand Liberal Party

}}

In 1862 Pyke visited the Otago goldfields, and became Secretary or Commissioner of the goldfields for the Otago Provincial Council. He then moved to Dunstan and Clyde. He was the first Chairman of Vincent County, which was named after him following an ironic suggestion by an opponent.

He represented the electorates of Wakatipu {{By-election link year|Wakatipu|1873}}–1875, then Dunstan 1875–1890.

{{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=133

}} He contested the {{NZ election link|1890}} in the {{NZ electorate link|Mount Ida}} electorate, but was beaten by Scobie Mackenzie. He then represented Tuapeka from 1893 to 1894 when he died. He was noted for his loyalty to Clyde and his Central Otago constituents.

Pyke was also a journalist, and wrote two novels about life on the goldfields, Wild Will Enderby (1873) and [https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-PykAdve.html The Adventures of George Washington Pratt] (1874).

Death

Pyke died at Lawrence, Otago, and is buried in the Dunedin Northern Cemetery.

References

External links

[https://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/name-122869.html five works by Pyke] from the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
[http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/media/photo/vincent-pyke-mp-cartoon Cartoon of Vincent Pyke in New Zealand Parliament]

{{s-ttl | title = Member for Castlemaine | years= November 1855 – March 1856 |with=James Atkin Wheeler}}

{{s-ttl | title = Member for Castlemaine Boroughs |alongside = Alexander Palmer | years=November 1856 – February 1857}}

{{s-ttl | title = Member for Castlemaine |alongside = John Macadam
Butler Cole Aspinall | years=October 1859 – June 1862}}

{{s-ttl | title = Member of Parliament for Wakatipu | years=1873–1875}}

{{s-ttl | title = Member of Parliament for Dunstan | years=1875–1890}}

{{s-ttl | title = Member of Parliament for Tuapeka | years=1893–1894}}

Category:1827 births

Category:1894 deaths

Category:Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives

Category:New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates

Category:New Zealand Liberal Party MPs

Category:New Zealand public servants