Felix Edward Wakefield (22 May 1845 – 10 August 1924) was the son of

Felix Wakefield Felix Wakefield (30 November 1807 – 23 December 1875) was an English colonist. Early life Felix Wakefield was born in 1807, the seventh child and sixth son of Edward Wakefield (1774–1854), a distinguished surveyor and land agent, and Susa ...

, one of

Edward Gibbon Wakefield Edward Gibbon Wakefield (20 March 179616 May 1862) is considered a key figure in the establishment of the colonies of South Australia and New Zealand (where he later served as a member of parliament). He also had significant interests in Brit ...

’s younger brothers. Edward was born in Launceston,

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

, brought up in New Zealand, and educated in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

and at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

. He married Agnes Mildred Hall on 15 July 1874 at Christchurch. She was the daughter of George Williamson Hall, and John Hall was thus her uncle. Edward and Agnes had four children: Edward Howard St George Wakefield (1875); Gerald Seymour Wakefield (1877); Grace Josephine Wakefield (1879); and Mildred Wakefield (1881). Wakefield was a journalist and then a colourful, volatile and ambitious politician in New Zealand, who showed considerable promise, though this was not quite fulfilled; "He was among the best parliamentary debaters of the time; admired for his wit and power of argument." Prior to entering politics he was a public servant and served as the second Cabinet Secretary for the Fox Ministry in 1869. He was the Member of Parliament for Geraldine 1875–1881, then for Selwyn 1884–1887, when he resigned. He won an by-election against John McLachlan, and was then elected unopposed in 1884 general election some five months later. He served as Colonial Secretary in the short 1884 ministry of

Harry Atkinson Sir Harry Albert Atkinson (1 November 1831 – 28 June 1892) served as the tenth premier of New Zealand on four separate occasions in the late 19th century, and was Colonial Treasurer for a total of ten years. He was responsible for guiding ...

; from 28 August to 3 September 1884. Wakefield subsequently concentrated on writing, producing ''New Zealand after Fifty Years'' (1889). Later he moved to America, then

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. Having become blind in old age, he was made a brother of the Charterhouse in recognition of his service, and resided there at the almshouse; he died there in 1924.

References

Biography in the 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand
*

The Cyclopedia of New Zealand ''The Cyclopedia of New Zealand: industrial, descriptive, historical, biographical facts, figures, illustrations'' was an encyclopaedia published in New Zealand between 1897 and 1908 by the Cyclopedia Company Ltd. Arthur McKee was one of the origi ...

, Volume 1 part 1 (1897), Wellington: page 82. {{DEFAULTSORT:Wakefield, Edward 1845 births 1924 deaths Alumni of King's College London Australian emigrants to New Zealand Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates Unsuccessful candidates in the 1860–1861 New Zealand general election Politicians from Launceston, Tasmania Colonial Secretaries of New Zealand 19th-century New Zealand politicians

Edward Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sax ...