Richard John Seddon
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The Right Honourable Richard John Seddon |
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Seddon in 1905
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| 15th Prime Minister of New Zealand | |
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In office 27 April 1893 – 10 June 1906 |
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| Monarch |
Victoria Edward VII |
| Governor |
David Boyle Uchter Knox William Plunket |
| Preceded by | John Ballance |
| Succeeded by | William Hall-Jones |
| Constituency | Westland |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
22 June 1845 Eccleston, Lancashire, England |
| Died | 10 June 1906 (aged 60) At sea |
| Political party |
Independent (1879–91) Liberal (1891–1906) |
| Spouse(s) | Louisa Jane Spotswood (m. 1869) |
| Children | 9, including Tom Seddon and Elizabeth Gilmer |
| Signature |  |
Richard John Seddon PC (22 June 1845 – 10 June 1906) was a British-born New Zealand politician who served as the 15th Premier (Prime Minister) of New Zealand from 1893 until his death in office in 1906.
First active in local politics, Seddon entered Parliament as the MP for Hokitika in 1879. He became a key member of the Liberal Party under the leadership of John Ballance. When the Liberal Government was elected 1891 Seddon was appointed to several portfolios, including Minister of Public Works.
Seddon succeeded to the leadership of the Liberal Party following Ballance's death in 1893, inheriting a bill for women's suffrage, which was passed the same year. Seddon's government achieved many social and economic changes. An imperialist in foreign policy, his attempt to incorporate Fiji into New Zealand failed, but he successfully annexed the Cook Islands in 1901. He also purchased vast amounts of land from the Māori. Seddon's government supported Britain with troops in the Second Boer War (1899–1902) and supported preferential trade between British colonies.
In office for thirteen years, Seddon is to date the country's longest-serving Prime Minister. Sometimes derisively known as King Dick for his autocratic style, he has nonetheless been lauded as one of the greatest, most influential and widest-known politicians in New Zealand history
Seddon was born in Eccleston near St Helens, Lancashire, England in 1845. His father Thomas Seddon (born 1817) was a school headmaster, and his mother Jane Lindsay was a teacher. They married on 8 February 1842 at Christ Church, Eccleston. Their children were:
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