Sir Westby Brook Perceval (11 May 1854 – 23 June 1928) was a New Zealand politician of the

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Biography

Perceval was born in Launceston,

Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colonial name of the island of Tasmania during the European exploration of Australia, European exploration and colonisation of Australia in the 19th century. The Aboriginal Tasmanians, Aboriginal-inhabited island wa ...

, in 1854. His mother was Sarah Brook (née Bailey) and his father was her husband, Westby Hawkshaw Percival, an Irish member of the

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. In the early 1860s, the family moved to

Rangiora Rangiora is the largest town and seat of the Waimakariri District, in Canterbury Region, Canterbury, New Zealand. It is north of Christchurch, and is part of the Christchurch metropolitan area. With an estimated population of Rangiora is the ...

in New Zealand, a township north of

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

. He received his early education at Merton's school, where he became friends with William Pember Reeves. In 1867 he won a junior Somes scholarship to

Christ's College, Christchurch Christ's College, Canterbury is an independent Anglican secondary day and boarding school for boys, located in the city centre of Christchurch, New Zealand. Founded in 1850 by Reverend Henry Jacobs in Lyttelton as a school for early settlers, t ...

. At the age of 16, in May 1870, he was received into the Catholic church. He completed his secondary education at

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in England. In 1872, he inherited sufficient land upon his father's death that he had a secure income. Perceval was a lawyer in Christchurch. He represented the Christchurch South electorate from the 1887 general election to the end of the parliamentary term in 1890, and then the City of Christchurch electorate from the 1890 general election to September 1891, when he resigned. For the last three months in Parliament, he was Chairman of Committees. He was made Agent-General to the United Kingdom from 1891 to 1896, and then Agent-General for Tasmania from 1896 to 1898. Perceval was appointed a Knight Commander of the

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(KCMG) in the 1894 New Year Honours. He died in

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, England, in 1928 and is buried at Gap Road Cemetery.

Family

Perceval married Jessie Johnston, daughter of John Johnston, in 1880. They had three sons: *Francis Westby Perceval (born 1882), barrister. He married in 1912 Dorothy Anne Cecilia Thornton. *Alan John Westby Perceval (born 1884), clergyman. *Major-General Christopher Peter Westby Perceval (born 1890), Royal Artillery.

Notes

References

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External links

, - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Perceval, Westby Brook 1854 births 1928 deaths New Zealand Roman Catholics New Zealand Liberal Party MPs 19th-century New Zealand lawyers Australian emigrants to New Zealand People educated at Christ's College, Christchurch People educated at Stonyhurst College Politicians from Christchurch New Zealand MPs for Christchurch electorates Independent MPs of New Zealand High commissioners of New Zealand to the United Kingdom Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Politicians from Launceston, Tasmania New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George 19th-century New Zealand politicians Johnston family