William Reeves

William Reeves (10 February 1825 – 4 April 1891) was a New Zealand 19th century journalist and politician. He was the father of the author and politician the Hon. William Pember Reeves. Reeves was born in 1825 in Clapham, Surrey, England. He represented the Avon electorate from an to 1868, when he resigned as the November 1867 death of his business partner, Crosbie Ward, prevented him from attending the upcoming parliamentary session in Wellington. He contested the Selwyn electorate in 1871 against Edward Cephas John Stevens and had a majority of one vote. He was Resident Minister for the Middle (South) Island in the 3rd Fox Ministry in 1871–1872. The dominant topic for the 1875 election was the abolition of the Provinces. Reeves favoured the retention of the provincial system of government, whilst Cecil Fitzroy, 20 years his junior, was an abolitionist. Fitzroy narrowly won the election in the Selwyn electorate by 14 votes. On 21 October 1884, Reeves was appointed to the New Zealand Legislative Council. He served until his death on 4 April 1891. He was a journalist and newspaper proprietor in Christchurch and Lyttelton, and was the principal proprietor of the Lyttelton Times, though he died virtually bankrupt (he had failed on the Stock Exchange in England before migrating to New Zealand).