William Fox (politician)

William Fox

Sir William Fox , KCMG (* 1812 in South Shields , England , † June 23, 1893 in Auckland ) was an Anglo-New Zealand politician and the second Prime Minister of New Zealand . He held this office four times: the first time from May 20 to June 2, 1856, the second time from July 12, 1861 to August 6, 1862, the third time from June 28, 1869 to September 10, 1872, the fourth and last time from March 3 to April 8, 1873. Fox achieved a breakthrough on the question of land rights of the Māori , improved the education system (including the establishment of the University of New Zealand ) and expanded New Zealand's autonomy vis-à-vis the United Kingdom .

Early life

Fox was born in the north of England, the exact date of birth is unknown. He was first at the Durham School trained, then at Wadham College of Oxford University . What he did in the years after graduation is still unknown today; there is speculation that he was not in England at the time. In 1838, however, he continued his studies in London .

In 1842, shortly after he was admitted to the bar, he married Sarah Halcomb. The couple decided to emigrate to New Zealand. Upon arriving in Wellington , Fox's legal qualifications were recognized, but there was a lack of work. Therefore, he made a living by writing articles for local newspapers. Fox lost his license in 1843 when he refused to take an oath he found "derogatory". This forced him to work exclusively as a journalist.

Business and Political Activities

In the beginning, Fox was opposed to the government's negotiations with the Māori on land rights. He argued that the Māori were only entitled to land that they cultivated themselves. He also criticized the government's "weak" response to the assassination of Arthur Wakefield , a New Zealand Company official . The society had tried to expand the Nelson colony at the expense of the Māori. Fox criticized the Governor Robert FitzRoy and so later contributed to his removal. In 1843, Fox was elected Wakefield's successor by the New Zealand Company.

Under his administration there were few conflicts with the Māori and most of the time Fox was devoted to the colony's economic development. Poor planning and inaccurate land surveys had resulted in many of the colonists receiving far less than they had originally been promised, and it was Fox's job to resolve these issues. While numerous historians believe he did a good job, Fox himself felt that his efforts were insufficient to appease the disgruntled colonists.

In 1848 William Wakefield , the brother of Arthur and Fox's supervisor, died. Fox traveled to Wellington and secured Wakefield's position. He succeeded mainly because of the short distance between Nelson and Wellington, which enabled him to take over the post before instructions from other cities could arrive. While he was not the first choice of the board of directors in London, his swift action had demonstrated his determination and was subsequently confirmed.

Society was in decline after the deaths of Edward and Arthur Wakefield. Fox became less and less concerned with society and instead increased his influence in the colony's government. He was a bitter opponent of Governor George Edward Gray ; he often described the administration and the judiciary as corrupt and incompetent.

In 1851 Fox traveled to London on behalf of a group of settlers from Wellington. There he met with Edward Gibbon Wakefield , the older brother of Edward and Arthur. He discussed with him a possible New Zealand constitution, advocating self-government, provincial autonomy and a bicameral parliament. He also wanted to meet Colonial Minister Earl Gray , but was not invited. The following year a constitution was published containing some of Fox's ideas, but which he was not generally satisfied with.

Terms of office as prime minister

Before returning to New Zealand, Fox traveled with his wife through Canada , the United States and Cuba . He was elected Member of Parliament for Wanganui in 1855 . He campaigned strongly for the autonomy of the provinces and was the leader of the opposition to the government of Henry Sewell . Sewell was voted out of office after only thirteen days in May 1856 and replaced by Fox by a vote of no confidence . Fox was also only in office for thirteen days, followed by Edward Stafford . During the first two years of Stafford's reign, Fox partially withdrew from politics, but then led the opposition again.

In the meantime, Fox had changed his mind about Māori land rights. He blamed the Stafford administration and Governor Thomas Gore Browne personally for the uprisings in the Taranaki area. These broke out after a Māori chief refused to sell his land. In 1860 Fox was set up in the constituency of Rangitikei .

In July 1861, Fox passed a vote of no confidence in Stafford and assumed the office of Prime Minister. He passed laws that brought the political structures of the Māori in line with the New Zealand constitution and ordered a stop on the purchase of Māori land. This enabled the latent tensions to be reduced somewhat. However, his efforts were undermined by George Edward Gray, who considered military action against the Māori necessary. Gray had military buildings built and troops raised, which led to a loss of confidence in the government among the Māori.

In August 1862, Fox lost a vote of no confidence. A year later he returned to the government, but only as Minister "for the interests of the natives"; Frederick Whitaker became Prime Minister . Fox seemed to have bothered little government at the time. He resigned in November 1864 and moved to Australia with his wife for several years .

Upon his return to New Zealand in 1868, Fox allowed himself to be persuaded by the opposition to return to politics. He was re-elected as MP and heavily criticized the poor relations between the Stafford government and the Māori. After another vote of no confidence, Fox became Prime Minister for the third time in June 1869. He reduced military activities and stopped any attempts to drive the Māori out by force. Treasury Secretary Julius Vogel had ambitious plans for New Zealand's economic development and gradually pushed Fox into the background. This lack of leadership had the consequence that Fox was deposed in September 1872 by another vote of no confidence from his rival Edward Stafford.

After that, Fox did not seek any further government office. But then George Waterhouse unexpectedly resigned in March 1873. Fox has been asked to serve as prime minister temporarily until a successor can be found. When Julius Vogel returned from a trip abroad a month later, Fox resigned from his position.

Late years

Fox resigned as MP in 1875, but was again MP from Wanganui from 1876 to 1879 and MP from Rangitikei from 1880 to 1881. In 1879 Fox was named Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George . Fox spent the rest of his life in Auckland , where he campaigned against alcohol abuse and wrote newspaper articles. Fox was very physically active throughout his life; in 1892, at the age of 80, he climbed Mount Taranaki , 2518 meters high .

The Fox Glacier in Westland National Park on the South Island is named after him. The town of Foxton on the North Island also bears his name.

Web links

• Raewyn Dalziel, Keith Sinclair : Fox, William . In: Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . Ministry for Culture & Heritage , September 1, 2010, accessed August 21, 2012 .