David Monro served as Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 1861 to 1870.
16 Facts About David Monro
2.
David Monro's father was Alexander Monro, a lecturer at the Edinburgh Medical College.
3.
Monro was from a long line of doctors, the Monro of Fyrish family that was a branch of clan Munro.
4.
David Monro graduated as a Doctor of Medicine from his father's college in 1835.
5.
In 1841 David Monro bought land in the planned settlement at Nelson, New Zealand.
6.
In 1843, following the Wairau Affray, David Monro was chosen to present the Nelson settlers' views to Willoughby Shortland, the acting Governor.
7.
Partly as a result of this attention, David Monro was appointed to the Legislative Council of the New Munster Province in 1849, but resigned after a dispute with Governor George Grey.
8.
In 1853, David Monro was elected to the 1st New Zealand Parliament, representing the seat of Waimea.
9.
David Monro was re-elected in the same seat for the 2nd Parliament in 1858.
10.
At the beginning of the 3rd Parliament, to which David Monro had been elected as representative of Picton, he was selected as Speaker.
11.
David Monro is generally regarded as having conducted this duty "with dignity", although his use of the Speaker's casting vote to unseat Premier William Fox in 1862 was controversial.
12.
David Monro remained Speaker until 1870, when he announced that he would step down.
13.
David Monro contested the Motueka seat in the 1871 elections, and was declared elected.
14.
David Monro nevertheless succeeded in re-entering Parliament through a 1872 by-election in Waikouaiti.
15.
For some time, David Monro leased Warwick House, at the time known as Sunnyside.
16.
David Monro died at his home, Newstead, in Nelson, New Zealand, on 15 February 1877.