Charles Elliott (New Zealand politician)

Elliott was born in Barnstaple in North Devon in 1811.^[2] He came to New Zealand on the Mary Anne; the ship left the West India Docks in London in September 1841 and arrived in Nelson Harbour on 10 February 1842. His brother James came on a later boat. ^[3][4] Having brought a printing press with him,^[5] Elliott established The Nelson Examiner and New Zealand Chronicle in 1842; this was the first newspaper in the South Island.^[1] In August 1842, he opened a bookshop in Nelson, one of the first in New Zealand.^[6] He held a sheep station in the Awatere Valley.^[7] He was particularly interested in horse racing and wrote for other publications under the pen name "Cheval".^[5] He published texts written by the suffragist Mary Müller, to whom he was related through marriage, in his newspaper.^[8]

Elliott was elected to the first Nelson Provincial Council for the Wairau electorate and held the post from 10 August 1853 to 1 August 1857, and represented the electorate in the second council from 9 October 1857 to 18 October 1859. He then represented the Amuri electorate from 7 April 1860 to 29 November 1861. He lastly represented the Nelson electorate from 23 February 1863 to 27 March 1865.^[9] In parallel, he represented the Awatere electorate in the Marlborough Provincial Council from 16 April 1860 to 16 October 1861.^[10]

On 5 November 1855, Elliott—alongside William Travers—was elected unopposed to represent the Waimea electorate in the 2nd New Zealand Parliament.^[11] Elliott resigned before the end of his term on 20 March 1858. He did not serve in any subsequent Parliaments,^[12] although he stood unsuccessfully in the 1873 by-election for the Suburbs of Nelson.^[13]