Robert Houston (New Zealand politician)
Robert Morrow Houston (1842 – 27 September 1912) was a Liberal Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand.
Early life
| Parliament of New Zealand | ||||
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | |
| 1890–1893 | 11th | Bay of Islands | Liberal | |
| 1893–1896 | 12th | Bay of Islands | Liberal | |
| 1896–1899 | 13th | Bay of Islands | Liberal | |
| 1899–1902 | 14th | Bay of Islands | Liberal | |
| 1902–1905 | 15th | Bay of Islands | Liberal | |
| 1905–1908 | 16th | Bay of Islands | Liberal | |
Houston was born in 1842 in County Down, Ireland.[1] His father was Rev. T. Houston, DD.[2] He received his education at Belfast Academy and Queen's College, Belfast.[3] He emigrated to New Zealand on the Canterbury, arriving in Lyttelton on 10 January 1864. Later that year, he went to Auckland and then worked as a school teacher in Whangarei and Otara. After that, he became a storekeeper in Mangonui.[1]
In 1870, he married Christina Robertson "Tina" Stewart of Auckland.[1] Their son, Andrew Stewart Houston (born 1879), served in the Second Boer War.[4] Another son, Harold Edward Houston (born 1885), died in action in France in 1916.[5]
Political career
He was chairman of the Mangonui Town Board, chaired the Oruaiti District Board, and for 24 years chaired the Mangonui County Council.[1]
He was elected to the Bay of Islands electorate in the 1890 general election, and he represented the seat to 1908, when he retired.[6] In the 1890 election, he contested the electorate against James Trounsen, John Lundon and Joseph Dargaville. Houston, Trounsen, Lundon, and Dargaville received 465, 454, 385 and 352 votes, respectively.[7] He chaired the Native Affairs Committee for 15 years and stepped back from that role in 1906 for health reasons.[3] Whilst he was a strong supporter of Richard Seddon, he was of the conservative end of the liberal spectrum and caused his party whips quite a bit of trouble over the years.[8]
Death
He died at Mangonui on 27 September 1912 aged 70 after a prolonged period of poor health.[8] He was survived by his wife.[9]
References
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| New Zealand Parliament | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Bay of Islands 1890–1908 |
Succeeded by Vernon Reed |
