Charles H. Mills
New Zealand politician (1843–1923)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Charles Houghton Mills (1843 – 3 April 1923) was a member of parliament for Waimea and Wairau, in the South Island of New Zealand.
William Hall-Jones
Charles H. Mills | |
|---|---|
| |
| Minister of Customs | |
| In office 29 October 1900 – 6 August 1906 | |
| Prime Minister | Richard Seddon William Hall-Jones |
| Preceded by | Richard Seddon |
| Succeeded by | Alexander Hogg |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1843 Nelson, New Zealand |
| Died | 3 April 1923 (aged 79–80) New Zealand |
| Party | Liberal |
| Spouse |
Margaret Morrison (m. 1871) |
| Relations | Haddon Donald (great-grandson)[1] |
Early life
Mills was born in Nelson.[2] His parents were Richard Mills and Annie Sophia Mills (née Hearne), who arrived in Nelson in 1841 on the Lord Auckland.[3][4] The family moved to Wellington in the early 1850s, where his father was Governor of the jail, and where Charles Mills was educated.[3][5] He was a pupil teacher at Te Aro school.[5] He went to sea for some years, and then worked in mining and farming.[3] Later, Mills was a commission agent.[2]
Mills settled in Havelock in 1871 and married Margaret, a daughter of John Morrison, in the same year.[3][6]
Member of Parliament
The 1887 general election in the Waimea-Picton electorate was contested by Arthur Seymour, Joseph Harkness and Mills, who received 446, 444 and 415 votes, respectively. Seymour was thus elected.[7]
The 1890 general election in the Waimea-Picton electorate was contested by Mills, Richmond Hursthouse and William Henry Phillips, who received 936, 728 and 80 votes, respectively.[8] Mills was thus elected and represented the electorate until the end of the term in 1893. He then represented the successor electorates of Waimea-Sounds (1893–1896) and Wairau (1896–1908) in the New Zealand House of Representatives.[9] The 1896 general election was contested by the incumbent Lindsay Buick and Mills, who received 2014 and 2072 votes, respectively. Mills thus succeeded Buick in Wairau.[10]
Mills served as the Liberal Party's Senior Whip from 1894 until his elevation to cabinet in 1900.[11] He was Minister of Trade and Customs between 1900 and 1906 and Minister of Immigration in 1906.[9]
He was a member of the Provincial Council and Marlborough County Council, and of the Legislative Council between 1909 and 1916.[12]
In 1897, Mills sued the Otago Daily Times and The Press for defamation, after they published a story which alleged the MP had had a police constable, John Jeffries, transferred to another district because he had not voted for him.[13] The jury in the Otago Daily Times case awarded Mills £150 in damages and £69 costs, while The Press won its case and was awarded costs of £150.
