Sir Patrick Alphonsus Buckley (1841 – 18 May 1896) was a New Zealand soldier, lawyer, statesman, and judge who held several high government posts in Wellington

Wellington

Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...

 in the early 1890s.

Early life

Born near Castletownshend

Castletownshend

Castletownshend on Ireland's southwest coast, is a village about eight km from Skibbereen, in County Cork, Province of Munster, Ireland. The village developed around a small 17th century castle built by Richard Townsend, whose descendents still reside there...

, County Cork

County Cork

County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, he was educated at the Mansion House School, Cork; St. Colman's College, Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

; the Irish College, Paris; and the Catholic University

Catholic University of Leuven

The Catholic University of Leuven, or of Louvain, was the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium. The university was founded in 1425 as the University of Leuven by John IV, Duke of Brabant and approved by a Papal bull by Pope Martin V.During France's occupation of Belgium in the...

, Leuven

Leuven

Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...

. Buckley was in Leuven when the Piedmontese invaded the Papal states

Papal States

The Papal State, State of the Church, or Pontifical States were among the major historical states of Italy from roughly the 6th century until the Italian peninsula was unified in 1861 by the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia .The Papal States comprised territories under...

 in 1860, and at the request of Count Carlo MacDonnell, Private Chamberlain to Pius IX, he brought the recruits of the Irish Papal Brigade from Ostend to Vienna, where they were placed under representatives of the Holy See. He served under General Lamoriciere, and after the war returned to Ireland.

Australia

He emigrated to Queensland, where he completed his legal studies and was admitted to the bar.

New Zealand

After a short residence in Queensland he settled in New Zealand, and began his law practice in Wellington. Soon after his arrival, he became a member of the Wellington Provincial Council

Wellington Province

The Wellington Province was a province of New Zealand until the abolition of provincial government in 1876.-Area:...

. Buckley was Provincial Solicitor in the Executive when the Provincial Parliaments were abolished in 1875. He was called to the Legislative Council

New Zealand Legislative Council

The Legislative Council of New Zealand was the upper house of the New Zealand Parliament from 1853 until 1951. Unlike the lower house, the New Zealand House of Representatives, the Legislative Council was appointed.-Role:...

 in 1878, where he served to 1895 when he resigned. He was Colonial Secretary

Colonial Secretary (New Zealand)

The Colonial Secretary of New Zealand was an office established in 1840 and abolished in 1907. The position should not be confused with the Colonial Secretary of the former Colonial Office of the United Kingdom....

 and leader of the Upper House in the Stout-Vogel Ministry (1884–87), and Attorney-General

Attorney-General (New Zealand)

The Attorney-General is a political office in New Zealand. It is simultaneously a ministerial position and an administrative office, and has responsibility for supervising New Zealand law and advising the government on legal matters...

 1893-95, Colonial Secretary, and leader of an overwhelmingly Opposition Upper House under the First Liberal Government

First Liberal Government of New Zealand

The First Liberal Government of New Zealand was the first responsible government in New Zealand politics organised along party lines. The Government formed following the founding of the Liberal Party and took office on the 24 January 1891, and governed New Zealand for over 21 years until 10 July...

 from 1891 until 1895, when he accepted the position of Judge of the Supreme Court. He was created Knight Commander of St. Michael and St. George in 1892.

In 1869 he married Alice Jane, a daughter of Sir William FitzHerbert

William Fitzherbert (New Zealand)

Sir William Fitzherbert KCMG MLC was a New Zealand politician. He served as Minister of Finance, Speaker of the House of Representatives, and Speaker of the Legislative Council.-Early life:...

. He had land in the Wellington suburb of Melrose and Buckley Road, Melrose is named after him (Irvine-Smith).

He died at Lower Hutt

Lower Hutt

Lower Hutt is a city in the Wellington region of New Zealand. Its council has adopted the name Hutt City Council, but neither the New Zealand Geographic Board nor the Local Government Act recognise the name Hutt City. This alternative name can lead to confusion, as there are two cities in the...

, New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

.