OBITUARY

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2339, 22 December 1914, Page 6

OBITUARY

HON. WILLIAM MONTGOMERY. (By TelecraDh.—Pre;e Association.) Christchurch, December 21. The Hon. William Montgomery died at his residence, Little River, this afternoon, at the age of 94 years. _ The Hon. Wm. Montgomery was born in London in 1821 and was educated at the Royal Academical Institution, Belfast. In his youth he adopted a 6eafaring life and ■ when only 19 years of tage, he wmmanded a vessel trading in the Mediterranean.- He went to Australia in 1851 and nine years later arrived in New Zealand, settling in the Canterbury' Province. In 1874 he was elected to the House of Representatives and was the member for Akaro'a for the following thirteen years. In 1877 ho was Leader of the Opposition and became Colonial Secretary and Minister of Education in the Stout-Vogel Government in 1884. He declined office in tho next Stout Government and retired from Parliament in 1887, being subsequently called to tho Legislative Council in 1892 and re-appomted in 1906. The late Mr. Montgomery was a member of tho first Road Board (Heathcote) in the Canterbury Province, and he had represented Heathcote on the old Provincial Council, being at different times Provincial Treasurer and President of the Executive. Other ofGcos filled by him woro: Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce, chairman of the Education Board, and chairman of the Board of Governors of Cantor, bury College.