Henry Leslie Michel (1855 – 4 March 1930) was Mayor of Hokitika for several years, and served on the

New Zealand Legislative Council The New Zealand Legislative Council () was the upper house of the General Assembly of New Zealand between 1853 and 1951. An earlier arrangement of New Zealand Legislative Council (1841–1853), legislative councils for the colony and provinces ...

from 1918 until his death. He had stood for the

New Zealand Parliament The New Zealand Parliament () is the unicameral legislature of New Zealand, consisting of the Monarchy of New Zealand, Sovereign and the New Zealand House of Representatives. The King is usually represented by his Governor-General of New Zeal ...

on four occasions, in later years for the Reform Party, but was unsuccessful.

Early life

Michel was born in

Newcastle, New South Wales Newcastle, also commonly referred to as Greater Newcastle ( ; ), is a large Metropolitan area, metropolitan area and the second-most-populous such area of New South Wales, Australia. It includes the cities of City of Newcastle, Newcastle and Ci ...

, and came to New Zealand as a boy. He settled in

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 ...

and received his education at Scott's Academy. He joined the merchant firm of Paterson & Co, in which he became a partner (the firm then known as Paterson, Michel & Co) and later managing director.

Public life

Hokitika

Michel was first elected to the Hokitika Borough Council in 1885. He was a member of the borough council for 25 years, and was Mayor of Hokitika for a total of 16 years spread over various periods starting in 1886. He served on various other local boards. Starting in 1900, he was the driving force behind the Hokitika Clock Tower; it was unveiled in June 1903.

National politics

Michel received a requisition to stand for Parliament in the , but he declined. Upon

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 ...

's death, he contested the resulting in the electorate, but was defeated by Seddon's son

Tom Seddon Thomas Edward Youd Seddon (2 July 1884 – 22 January 1972) was a New Zealand politician of the New Zealand Liberal Party, Liberal Party, and a lawyer in Greymouth. He was the son of New Zealand's longest-serving Prime Minister Richard Seddon, ...

. He unsuccessfully stood against Seddon two more times, in , and in for the Reform Party, when he was defeated in the first ballot. After the death of Sir

Arthur Guinness Arthur Guinness ( 172523 January 1803) was an Irish brewer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. The inventor of Guinness beer, he founded the Guinness Brewery at St. James's Gate in 1759. Guinness was born in Ardclogh, near Celbridge, County Ki ...

, he contested the electorate in the resulting . Of three candidates, he came first in the first ballot. In the second ballot, the unsuccessful

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

supported

Paddy Webb Patrick Charles Webb (30 November 1884 – 23 March 1950) was a New Zealand trade unionist and politician. Early life Webb was born in Rutherglen, a small town in the Australian state of Victoria. His father, George Webb, was a miner, and P ...

of the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

, and Webb was elected. Michel was a member of the Legislative Council from 7 May 1918 to 6 May 1925, and then from 7 May 1925 to 4 March 1930, when he died. He was appointed by the Reform Government. He was buried in

Hokitika Cemetery Hokitika Cemetery, also known as Seaview Cemetery, is the cemetery for Hokitika in New Zealand. The cemetery is located on Hospital Hill Road in the suburb of Seaview on an elevated site north-east of the town, giving a good outlook over the se ...

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Michel, Henry 1855 births 1930 deaths Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council Reform Party (New Zealand) MLCs People from Newcastle, New South Wales Australian emigrants to New Zealand Local politicians in New Zealand Mayors of Hokitika Burials at Hokitika Cemetery Unsuccessful candidates in the 1908 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1911 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1914 New Zealand general election