Seymour Thorne George (10 October 1851 – 2 July 1922) was a New Zealand politician. The premier, Sir

George Grey Sir George Grey, KCB (14 April 1812 – 19 September 1898) was a British soldier, explorer, colonial administrator and writer. He served in a succession of governing positions: Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Gov ...

, was his wife's half-uncle and adoptive father, and that relationship resulted in Thorne George representing the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

electorate of

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 ...

despite him being based in the North Island. He later represented the electorate. Thorne George was later Mayor of Parnell.

Early life

Thorne George was from

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

shire. His father was George Thorne George. He received his education at

Cheltenham College Cheltenham College is a public school ( fee-charging boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18) in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The school opened in 1841 as a Church of England foundation and is known for its outstanding linguis ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

, England with a view of joining the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is the engineering arm of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces ...

, but he had an accident playing soccer, abandoned his studies, and started work as a civil engineer in London.

Life in New Zealand

His father was a friend of Sir

, who had been

Governor of New Zealand A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

and who temporarily returned to England in 1859. On the advice of Grey, Thorne George moved to New Zealand. For some years, he was the estate manager for Grey on

Kawau Island Kawau Island is in the Hauraki Gulf, close to the north-eastern coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the Māori word for the shag.At its closest point it lies off the coast of the Northland Peninsula, just south of Tā ...

. On 3 December 1872, he married Annie Maria Matthews (1853–1938), who was the daughter of Sir Godfrey Thomas, the half brother of George Grey. After Thomas' death in 1861, Grey had adopted Annie and had raised her. Seymour and Annie had a daughter, Julia Thorne George, who was born in 1874 in Sir George Grey's Mansion house on Kawau Island.

Political career

Grey was very popular with people on the West Coast. After a seat 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 ...

became available through a resignation in the

electorate, a

man enquired by telegram whether he could recommend a good candidate from outside the area. Sir George replied:

My nephew Seymour Thorne George would be glad to represent your district if you sent him a requisition asking him to do so. He was with me when I visited your district in February last. G. Grey

Thorne George represented the Hokitika electorate from 1878 by-election to 1879. He then represented the

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 ...

electorate of Rodney from

1879 Events January * January 1 ** The Specie Resumption Act takes effect. The United States Note is valued the same as gold, for the first time since the American Civil War. ** Brahms' Violin Concerto is premiered in Leipzig with Joseph Joachim ...

to 1884. He contested the in the electorate, but was defeated by the incumbent,

Frederick Moss Frederick Joseph Moss (1827/1828 – 8 July 1904) was a New Zealand politician who served as a member of New Zealand Parliament, Parliament as an Independent politician, independent. Early life He was born in Longwood, Saint Helena in 1827 or 1 ...

. He was then appointed to 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 1903 to 1917. Thorne George was Mayor of Parnell in 1887–1888 and 1891–1892. He died at his home in Parnell on 2 July 1922, and was buried at Purewa Cemetery.

References

;Notes ;Sources * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Thorne George, Seymour 1851 births 1922 deaths Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council Mayors of places in the Auckland Region Unsuccessful candidates in the 1884 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1887 New Zealand general election People educated at Cheltenham College Burials at Purewa Cemetery New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates Politicians from Somerset English emigrants to New Zealand 19th-century New Zealand politicians