Thomas William Rolleston

Hon. William Rolleston
3rd Leader of the Opposition
In office 31 August 1891 – 8 November 1893
Preceded by	John Bryce
Succeeded by	William Russell
Constituency	Avon, later Geraldine, Halswell
Born	19 September 1831 Yorkshire  England
Died	February 8 1903 (aged 71) Canterbury,  New Zealand
Spouse	Elizabeth Mary Brittain (married 1865), nine children.
Profession	farmer

William Rolleston (September 19, 1831 - February 8, 1903) was a New Zealand politician, public administrator, educationalist and Canterbury provincial superintendent (politics).

Early life

Rolleston was born at Maltby, Yorkshire as the 9th child of the Rev. George Rolleston and Anne Nettleship. He attended Rossall School and Emmanuel College. He graduated from here in 1855 with second class honours in classical tripos. He had intended to move to Canterbury but his father advised against it so he took up tutoring. However, this was merely a means of raising enough money to leave England in order to reject 'Conservatives and Ecclesiastics'.

Political career

Later life

He married Elizabeth Mary Brittain in 1865 at Avonside, Christchurch. They had five sons and four daughters. Rolleston died at his Rangitata farm at Kapunatiki, on February 8, 1903.

External link

• Gardner, W. J. Rolleston, William 1831 - 1903. Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, updated 7 July 2005
• Biography in the 1966 Encyclopaedia of New Zealand

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