Name: Richard John Seddon (aka King Dick)
Born: 22 June 1845, Eccleston, England
Died: 10 June 1906, age 60 at sea
Who was he?
Richard Seddon was the 15th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 27 April 1893 to 10 June 1906 when he died from a heart attach at sea. He was our longest serving Prime Minister and is regarded by some as our greatest political leader.
Why is he a famous West Coaster?
Richard Seddon lived on the West Coast in Kumara. He was an advocate for miners rights and issues. In 1877 he was the first mayor of Kumara. 1879 to 1906 he was MP for Kumara, Hokitika and Westland. In 1893 to 1906 he was the Prime Minister of New Zealand.
A bit about his legacy.
There are a number of streets, competitions and even a town named after him. Seddon started the Old Age Pension or Superannuation we have today.
My thoughts.
Richard John Seddon was called King Dick because he was bossy and like to control everything. I knew that Richard John Seddon was called King Dick but I didn't know he was such an important Prime Minister or that he was from here. If I could ask him one question, it would be "What would he suggest we could do to fix the lack of jobs here".
Really interesting findings Liam. Did you know that grandad Alistair's great grandfather Henry Leslie Michel stood against Dick Seddon for parliament and lost by one vote? Henry Michel was also the Mayor of Hokitika and the fire chief there for many years.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Liam, I know that you put alot of thought into this, Keep it up.
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