Sir Edwin Mitchelson (7 April 1846 – 11 April 1934) was a New Zealand politician and timber merchant.

Member of Parliament

Mitchelson was born in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

in a cottage on Queen Street in the mid 1840s. He developed business interests in timber and

kauri gum Kauri gum is resin from kauri trees (''Agathis australis''), which historically had several important industrial uses. It can also be used to make crafts such as jewellery. Kauri forests once covered much of the North Island of New Zealand, bef ...

, shipbuilding, and horse racing and breeding. He was a cabinet minister from 1883 to 1884 and 1887 to 1880 as Minister of Public Works. From 1887 to 1891 he was

Minister of Māori Affairs Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

(called Native Affairs), and from 1889 to 1891 he was Minister of Telegraphs and Postmaster-General. He represented the Marsden electorate from to 1887, then Eden from to 1896, when he was defeated (for the

City of Auckland The City of Auckland is a former territorial authority of New Zealand. The term may also refer to: *Auckland City, the territorial authority that absorbed all of the territory belonging to the City of Auckland *City of Auckland (New Zealand elector ...

electorate).

Later years

Mitchelson was the

Mayor of Auckland City The Mayor of Auckland City was the directly elected head of the Auckland City Council, the municipal government of Auckland City, New Zealand. The office existed from 1871 to 2010, when the Auckland City Council and mayoralty was abolished and ...

from 1903 to 1905, chairman of the Remuera Road Board, and a member of the

Legislative Council A legislative council is the legislature, or one of the legislative chambers, of a nation, colony, or subnational division such as a province or state. It was commonly used to label unicameral or upper house legislative bodies in the Brit ...

from 1920 until his death on 11 April 1934. He was appointed a

Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

in the 1921 King's Birthday Honours. He was buried at Purewa Cemetery in the Auckland suburb of Meadowbank.

Personal life

Mitchelson had a wooden mansion built at

Muriwai Muriwai, also called Muriwai Beach, is a coastal community on the west coast of the Auckland Region in the North Island of New Zealand. The black-sand surf beach and surrounding area is a popular recreational area for Aucklanders. The Muriwai ...

around the year 1902, which he named Oaia, named after

Oaia Island Oaia Island is an island on the west coast of the Auckland Region, New Zealand, near Muriwai. Home to an Australasian gannet colony, the island was traditionally used as a seasonal food resource for Tāmaki Māori iwi, including Te Kawerau ā M ...

Notes

References

* , - , - 1846 births 1934 deaths Mayors of Auckland Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George 19th-century New Zealand politicians Auckland Harbour Board members Burials at Purewa Cemetery {{NewZealand-mayor-stub