William Collins

William Edward Collins (14 October 1853 – 11 August 1934) was a New Zealand medical doctor, sportsman and politician. He was a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council from 1907 until his death. Collins was born in Darjeeling, India. His father was John Charles Collins MD and his mother was Ann. He received his education at Cheltenham College in England and at the University of London. He was then at St George's Hospital in London, from where he qualified with FRCS in 1976 and a Bachelor of Medicine in 1877. His greatest sporting accomplishments were in rugby union; he represented England as a half-back several times in the 1870s, before emigrating to New Zealand. He first arrived in Nelson in April 1877 but by October 1878, he put his land and house up for auction and moved to Wellington. Collins played two games of first-class cricket for Wellington in the 1880s. Previously he had played for Cheltenham College, and had played against teams captained by W. G. Grace. A. E. J. Collins was his nephew, while his son David Collins played more than 50 first-class matches and his brother John Collins six.