William James Mudie Larnach was a New Zealand businessman and politician.
22 Facts About William Larnach
1.
2.
William Larnach is known for his extravagant incomplete house near Dunedin called Larnach's castle by his opponents and now known as Larnach Castle.
3.
William Larnach is remembered for his suicide within parliament buildings when faced with bankruptcy and consequent loss of his seat in parliament.
4.
William Larnach arrived in Dunedin in September 1867 and took up his new post.
5.
William Larnach soon became quite prosperous, gathering large amounts of money through land speculation, farming investments, and a timber business.
6.
Between 1873 and 1887, William Larnach constructed a large mansion, on the ridge of Otago Peninsula.
7.
Originally named "The Camp" by William Larnach, it is known as "William Larnach Castle".
8.
William Larnach was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 1879 Birthday Honours.
9.
William Larnach entered politics in 1875, standing in a by-election in the electorate of Caversham.
10.
Under the new Premier, George Grey, William Larnach was appointed Colonial Treasurer.
11.
William Larnach later undertook a long trip to England to arrange a government loan, although he took advantage of the opportunity to launch a new business venture, the New Zealand Agricultural Company.
12.
William Larnach eventually became insolvent, although Larnach Castle and various other assets had been transferred to the ownership of his wife, Eliza, and were therefore spared.
13.
In 1880, his wife died, and William Larnach married Mary Cockburn Alleyne, her half-sister, in 1882.
14.
William Larnach died in 1887, and in 1891, he married his third wife, Constance de Bathe Brandon.
15.
In 1882, William Larnach returned to politics, winning the Peninsula electorate in 1883.
16.
William Larnach devoted considerable effort to seeking government assistance for the New Zealand Agricultural Company.
17.
William Larnach lost the 1890 election, but became a Member of Parliament again through the Tuapeka electorate in a 1894 by-election.
18.
William Larnach affiliated himself with the Liberal Party, which was a somewhat surprising decision, given his associations with the business elite that the Liberals opposed.
19.
In 1894, William Larnach became a director of the Colonial Bank of New Zealand, having previously become a shareholder, but the Bank collapsed the following year leaving William Larnach on the brink of financial ruin.
20.
In 1898, William Larnach locked himself in a committee room at Parliament and shot himself with a revolver.
21.
William Larnach died intestate and his surviving family fought a battle over his will.
22.
Some time after his death, William Larnach's skull was stolen and was recovered in 1972 from a college student's bedroom.