Obituary

Feilding Star, Volume XII, Issue 98, 10 February 1891, Page 2

Obituary

The Hon. Sir William Fitzberbert, K.C.M.G., born August 15 r 1810 r tfied February 7, 1891. '.:■ ■'; By the death of Sir .William FitzlW-; berb, Wellington loses^one of her most prominent and be3t respected settlers. Sir William wasa. Cambridge, man, where he made a good record as" Senior Optime' in was a "^.Brown's University" medalist,, a " first-class" in classics, the M.A; degree, and a Queen's Fellowship.' He was noted; as a good oarsman all t rouna athlete; ;., Cambndge tie a fessido atid got his M.D., but he, did not follbw it v up, and in after life lie always regretted he had not studied-. law,: for which he' had a natural bent.' ' In the year 1847 Mr Fitzherbert saileds for New Zealand in an eighty tdti schooner, the Lady Leigh. Hehad already "sent out rnoney> to the colony to be invested .in land or used in trading; bnt his venture was not a success. Arriving in Wellingtbn He-, went into "business as a merchant and auctioneer/ bat finding a depression in business caused by th& earthquakes he chartered the ill-fated to dear out tor New South Wales, but that ship was wrecked on Barrett's reef in the entrance of Welling! on harbor, and the passengers— who lost c very thine— had ;to come back and make a'fresbi start in Wellington^ He was' associated with Messrs Featherstori; Fox, Bell, Richmond, Gargill and others in^the Constitutional Association formed to obtain representatiye^goyernment for the colony. ; He^ was the second- Superihfendent of the prpvinee of Wellington. He represented .Wellington in the House of Representatives until he was elevated to the Legislative Council of which body he succeeded Sir Charles Clifford as Speaker. He was knighted in 1877. Sir William Fitzherbert was a man. of strong will, sound judgment, and no man in the colony who knew him in the old days but will be glad to know that' he had reached bis allotted span of years, and when the sands of life had run out this respected colonist passed peacefully away among bis children, full of yearß and honor, with unclouded faculties.

(PEB. PRESS. ASSOCIATION.) : VVKLtiKfttoN, This Day. : : Government' offices were closed this afternoon as a mark of respect to the late Sir William FitzHerbert. The funeral ; takes place at the Lower Hutt this after- , noon. The: Hons. Mr Ballance, Mr Buckley, Mr Cadman and Mr Beeves, and the heads of the" Civil; Service and leading citizens will attend.