George Graham (New Zealand politician)

Parliament of New Zealand
Years	Term	Electorate		Party
1861–1866	3rd	Newton		Independent
1866–1869	4th	Newton		Independent

George Graham (10 December 1812 – 14 February 1901) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament in the Auckland, New Zealand.

Graham was born in 1812; sources differ whether his birthplace was in Hove, East Sussex^[1] or at Frogmore in Berkshire,^[2] England. He was christened at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle in 1812. He belonged to Clan Graham, and his grandfather was an interpreter between the Scottish and the English. He became clerk of works with the Board of Ordnance aged 19, and belonged to the Royal Engineers for the next 25 years. He was posted to Ireland in 1835, to New South Wales in 1836, and to New Zealand in 1840.^[1][2]

He worked for the Royal Engineers and was involved in public works, roading, and military installations. The Flagstaff War in the Bay of Islands in 1845–46 put a scare to the population of Auckland, and Graham supervised the enlargement of the Albert Barracks overlooking the town.^[1][3] He later claimed that the fortification of the barracks was not necessary, but by doing so, it would prevent the subdivision of the hill and that the area could thus later become a park.^[2] Indeed, Albert Park was formed in the 1880s.

Graham was then sent to China, where he suffered a nervous breakdown after witnessing a fellow soldier being buried alive. He resigned from the military and returned to New Zealand, where he took up farming in Māngere.^[1][2]

He represented the Newton electorate from 1861 to 1869, when he resigned.^[4]

Graham retired to Hove in England for the last years of his life. He died at Hove on 14 February 1901.^[1] His son James Bannatyne Graham married Elizabeth Mary Josephine Sheehan, the sister of cabinet minister John Sheehan. Their son was George Samuel Graham.^[5]

References

1. Scholefield, Guy, ed. (1940). A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography : A–L (PDF). I. Wellington: Department of Internal Affairs. p. 315. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
2. "Death of Mr. Geo. Graham". The New Zealand Herald. XXXVIII (11581). 20 February 1901. p. 5. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
3. "Albert Barracks Wall (University of Auckland Campus)". Register of Historic Places. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
4. Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. p. 200. OCLC 154283103.
5. Graham, Edward Rahiri and Curnow, Jenifer. "Graham, George Samuel". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 13 May 2012.