Samuel Bealey (1821 – 8 May 1909) was a 19th-century politician in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

, New Zealand. Bealey came out to Canterbury in 1851, a pastoralist with capital to invest in farming. He married Rose Ann, daughter of Archdeacon Paul in 1852. Having made money, he returned to England, in 1867 and died there. His son Nowell managed Haldon (sheep) Station. Bealey stood for election in the Town of Christchurch electorate for the first Provincial Council on 3 September 1853. Five candidates contested the three positions, and Bealey received the second highest number of votes at 74. The two other successful candidates were Thomas Cass and Richard Packer (77 and 71 votes, respectively). Charles Fooks (a brother-in-law of

Guise Guise (; nl, Wieze) is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. The city was the birthplace of the noble family of Guise, Dukes of Guise, who later became Princes of Joinville. Population Sights The rema ...

and Joseph Brittan) and

Edward Dobson Edward Dobson (1816/17? – 19 September 1908) was Provincial Engineer for Canterbury Province, New Zealand from 1854 to 1868. Early life Edward Dobson was born in London, probably in 1816 or 1817. His parents were John Dobson, a merchant, and ...

were defeated (at 51 and 21 votes, respectively). Bealey remained a provincial councillor until the dissolution of the first parliament on 14 July 1857. From October 1854 to May 1855, he was a member of the executive council during the superintendency of James FitzGerald. Bealey was again elected onto the Provincial Council on 8 May 1862, this time in the City of Christchurch electorate. He served until 5 March 1863, as on that day, he was elected the third Superintendent, a role which he held to 1866. In 1863 William Sefton Moorhouse was in financial crisis, and put in Bealey as Superintendent instead, as a "safe man", to keep his rival James FitzGerald out. But Bealey, who was usually dependent on stronger personalities, decided to resign, then changed his mind and when the Moorhouse team resigned collected a new team. Most reports on him are rather scathing, a "nobody" or a "bookseller! Bealey Avenue in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...

, the

Bealey River The Bealey River is a small river located in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. It is a tributary of the Waimakariri River. Its valley forms the eastern approach to Arthur's Pass. The river and the Bealey settlement are named for Samuel Bealey, a ...

and the settlement of Bealey in Canterbury are named for him.

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External links

Biography in 1966 ''Encyclopaedia of New Zealand''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bealey, Samuel 1821 births 1909 deaths People from Christchurch Members of the Canterbury Provincial Council Superintendents of New Zealand provincial councils Members of Canterbury provincial executive councils 19th-century New Zealand politicians