Richard Molesworth Taylor
New Zealand politician (1835–1919)
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Richard Molesworth Taylor (1835 – 26 August 1919), also known as Sydenham Taylor, was a three-term New Zealand Member of Parliament. Born in London in 1835, he moved to Auckland on the Heather Bell in 1846. He travelled to Victoria in 1851, and later to New South Wales and participated in the gold rush before returning to Auckland in 1857. There he briefly joined the militia, serving in the New Zealand Wars, before becoming a government contractor. In 1869 he moved to Canterbury, working as a general contractor until becoming a Member of Parliament in 1886.[1]
Richard Molesworth Taylor | |
|---|---|
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Sydenham | |
| In office 1886–1890 | |
| Preceded by | William White |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for City of Christchurch | |
| In office 1890–1893 | |
| Succeeded by | William Whitehouse Collins |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1835 London, England |
| Died | (aged 85) Wellington, New Zealand |
| Spouse |
Laura Augusta Gray
(m. 1887; died 1903) |
Member of Parliament
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1886–1887 | 9th | Sydenham | Independent | ||
| 1887–1890 | 10th | Sydenham | Independent | ||
| 1890–1893 | 11th | Christchurch | Independent | ||
William White resigned his Sydenham seat in Parliament in March 1886 on medical advice.[2] Taylor successfully contested the subsequent by-election on 12 May, gaining 438 votes against John Lee Scott (418), Samuel Paull Andrews (230) and S. G. Jolly (2).[3]
At the 1887 general election, Taylor contested the electorate against John Crewes.[4] They received 766 and 392 votes respectively, so Taylor entered the 10th New Zealand Parliament.[5]
The Sydenham electorate was abolished in 1890 so Taylor contested the City of Christchurch electorate instead, winning the third highest number of votes in the three-member electorate.[6] He unsuccessfully contested the 1893[7] and 1896[8] general elections, and the 1896 by-election.[9][10]