ON THIS DAY: FIRST PRIME MINISTER OF NEW ZEALAND – HENRY SEWELL – WAS BORN IN NEWPORT IN 1807

On this day in 1807, Henry Sewell – the first ever Prime Minister of New Zealand – was born in Newport.

Henry Sewell was the 4th son of Thomas Sewell – a solicitor – and his wife Jane. He was educated at Hyde Abbey School near Winchester, and he himself qualified as a solicitor, joining his father’s law firm in 1826.

He went on to marry Lucinda Needham with whom he had 6 children before Lucinda died in 1844 at the age of just 31. Lucinda is buried in Carisbrooke.

Article continues below this advertisement

Sewell remarried Elizabeth Kittoe in 1850 and made plans to emigrate with his new wife to New Zealand, hoping for a better life in the colony.

The married couple arrived in New Zealand on 2nd February 1853. In July of that year, Henry decided that he would stand for the New Zealand Parliament in the general election and was duly elected.

On 7th May 1856, Henry Sewell was appointed as the 1st Prime Minister of New Zealand. However, his government lasted for less than 2 weeks and he was forced out of office on 20th May.

Sewell continued to play a role in the government of New Zealand when fighting broke out with Maori in 1860 over land grievances. Sewell – who held pacifist views –  attempted to promote negotiation and compromise. He believed that conflict with the Maori could only be resolved by a fair method of land purchase, which did not involve coercion. Sewell later resigned from a post as Attorney-General over the government’s land confiscation policies.

In 1873, Sewell retired from politics and returned to England. He died in Cambridge on 14th May 1879 and is buried in the Old Churchyard, Waresley, Huntingdonshire.

Article continues below this advertisement