James FitzGerald

James Edward FitzGerald (4 March 1818 – 2 August 1896) was a New Zealand politician. According to some historians, he should be considered the country's first premier, although a more conventional view is that neither he nor his successor should properly be given that title. He was a notable campaigner for New Zealand self-governance. He was the first Superintendent of the Canterbury Province. Early life FitzGerald was born on 4 March 1818 in Bath, England. His parents, Gerald FitzGerald and Katherine O'Brien, were Irish, and FitzGerald is known to have cherished his connection with Ireland, despite being educated in England. He was educated first in Bath, and then at Christ's College of the University of Cambridge. He initially sought a commission in the Royal Engineers, but poor eyesight made this impossible. Instead, he began working for the British Museum's Antiquities department, and became the museum's Assistant Secretary. FitzGerald gradually became concerned with the alleviation of poverty, an interest spurred by the problems of the Great Famine of Ireland. His suggested solution to poverty was emigration to the colonies, where more opportunities might exist for prosperity. As such, he became heavily involved in the promotion and planning of new colonies. In 1849, he became secretary of the Canterbury Association, responsible for the Anglican settlement at Christchurch, New Zealand. The settlement was well organised by the Canterbury Association; the printing press for the colony's newspaper was sent with the First Four Ships (FitzGerald becoming the first editor of the Lyttelton Times) and the main building for the settlement's school, known these days as Christ's College Big School, was designed by FitzGerald in 1850 in England. The building was constructed in 1863 and is the only building known to have been designed by FitzGerald. FitzGerald married Frances Erskine Draper on 22 August 1850, and soon afterwards quarrelled with her father. As a result, FitzGerald and his wife themselves left for Christchurch. They arrived in Lyttelton, the port of Christchurch, on 16 December 1850 on board of the Charlotte Jane.