William Gisborne was the first New Zealand Cabinet Secretary from 1864 to 1869, Colonial Secretary of New Zealand from 1869 to 1872, and Minister of Public Works between 1870 and 1871.
14 Facts About William Gisborne
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William Gisborne was the third son of Thomas John Gisborne of Holme Hall, near Bakewell in Derbyshire, England.
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William Gisborne's grandfather was Thomas Gisborne, who fought for the abolition of the slave trade in England.
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Thomas William Gisborne the Younger was an uncle who represented various constituencies in the House of Commons between 1830 and 1852.
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William Gisborne emigrated to Australia in 1842 and to New Zealand in 1847.
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William Gisborne was initially secretary to Edward John Eyre, the lieutenant governor of New Munster Province.
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William Gisborne was then appointed commissioner of Crown lands, a role for which he moved to New Zealand's capital, Auckland.
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William Gisborne married Caroline Gertrude Bridgen at St Mary's Church in the Auckland suburb of Parnell, and the couple had four children.
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William Gisborne resigned from the position in 1869 and left the civil service to take on the role of Colonial Secretary in the third Fox Ministry.
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William Gisborne was appointed to the New Zealand Legislative Council on 2 July 1869, and resigned on 11 January 1871.
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In December 1875, William Gisborne was a strong candidate for the Wellington mayoralty, but he fell out with the public over him favouring denominational education.
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William Gisborne then represented the Totara electorate from a 1877 by-election, following the death of George Henry Tribe.
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William Gisborne was re-elected at the 1879 election and served until the end of that term of Parliament in 1881.
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William Gisborne returned to England in 1881 following the death of his elder brother Francis.