Edmund Barff (5 March 1833 – 29 June 1882) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament from the West Coast, New Zealand. Barff was born in the English county of

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

on 5 March 1833, probably at

Lee Lee may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lee'' (2007 film), Tamil-language sports action film * ''Lee'' (2017 film), Kannada-language action film * ''Lee'' (2023 film), biographical drama about Lee Miller, American photojournalist * ''L ...

(now part of Greater London), where he was baptised five months later. He first came to New Zealand to join the

West Coast gold rush The West Coast gold rush, on the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, lasted from 1864 to 1867. Description The gold rush populated the area, which up until then had been visited by few Europeans. Gold was found ...

in the mid-1860s. The West Coast was initially part of the

Canterbury Province The Canterbury Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. Its capital was Christchurch. History Canterbury was founded in December 1850 by the Canterbury Association of influential En ...

and following a requisition in October 1865, he was first elected as the member of the West Coast Goldfields electorate in the following month. Barff and Evan Prosser, who was elected at the same time, were the first members from the West Coast on the Canterbury Provincial Council. In July 1866, Barff became a member for the Westland electorate. He remained a member of the Canterbury Provincial Council until December 1867. The Westland district separated from the Canterbury Province on 1 January 1868, and Barff joined the

Westland County Westland County, also known as County of Westland, was a local government area on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It existed from 1868 to 1873, and then from 1876 until 1989. In its first incarnation, it constituted the government f ...

, which was the predecessor to

Westland Province The Westland Province was a province of New Zealand from 1873 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. The capital was Hokitika. Area and history The area was part of Canterbury Province when the provinces were created in 1853. B ...

. During the existence of Westland County (January 1868 – November 1873), Barff represented the ridings of Westland, Ōkārito, and Arahura. He did not join the Westland Provincial Council, but stood for the first election in January 1874 as one of three candidates in the two-member Arahura electorate (incorrectly referred to as 'Waimea' in some sources). Much to his surprise, he was defeated with 120 votes by

Richard Seddon Richard John Seddon (22 June 1845 – 10 June 1906) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 15th premier (prime minister) of New Zealand from 1893 until his death. In office for thirteen years, he is to date New Zealand's longest-ser ...

and Houlahan, who were equal at 145 votes. He represented the

Westland South Westland South was a parliamentary electorate on the West Coast of New Zealand from 1868 to 1870. History The Westland Representation Act 1867 introduced changes to the Waimea and Westland electorates. Their areas were reassigned and four ele ...

electorate in the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entities. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often ...

from

1868 Events January * January 2 – British Expedition to Abyssinia: Robert Napier, 1st Baron Napier of Magdala, Robert Napier leads an expedition to free captive British officials and missionaries. * January 3 – The 15-year-old Mutsu ...

to 1870, when he was defeated for

Hokitika Hokitika is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island, south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. It is the seat and largest town in the Westland District. The town's estimated population is as of ...

by John White. He then represented the

electorate from

1876 Events January * January 1 ** The Reichsbank opens in Berlin. ** The Bass Brewery Red Triangle becomes the world's first registered trademark symbol. *January 27 – The Northampton Bank robbery occurs in Massachusetts. February * Febr ...

to 1879, when he was again defeated. Barff died in

Kumara Kumara may refer to: Places * Kumara (Mali), a province * Kumara, New Zealand, a town * Kumara (New Zealand electorate), a Parliamentary electorate Other uses * Kumara Illangasinghe, an Anglican bishop in Sri Lanka * Kumara (surname) * The Fo ...

in 1882; he had never married.

Notes

References

* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Barff, Edmund 1833 births 1882 deaths New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Members of the Canterbury Provincial Council Members of the Westland County Council Unsuccessful candidates in the 1871 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1879 New Zealand general election People from Lee, London British emigrants to New Zealand