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The Hon. William Pember Reeves (10 February 1857 - was a New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
 statesman
Statesman

A statesman or stateswoman or statesperson is usually a politician or other notable figure of state who has had a long and respected career in politics at the national and international level....
, historian
Historian

A historian is an individual who studies and writes about history, and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, systematic narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all events in time....
 and poet
Poet

A poet is a person who writes poetry....
, who promoted social reform.

es' parents were William Reeves
William Reeves (journalist)

William Reeves was a New Zealand 19th century journalist and politician. He was the father of the author and politician the Hon. William Pember Reeves....
 (who was a journalist and politician) and Ellen neé Pember; they had migrated to Canterbury in 1857, arriving three weeks before he was born.

He was educated at a private “prep” school in Christchurch
Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest Urban areas of New Zealand. It is midway down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of Christchurch....
, the local high school, and (1867–74) the Christ's College Grammar School
Christ's College, Canterbury

Christ's College, Canterbury is an Independent school, Anglican, Secondary school, Day school and boarding school for boys, located in Christchurch, New Zealand....
.






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The Hon. William Pember Reeves (10 February 1857 - was a New Zealand
New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses , and numerous Islands of New Zealand, most notably Stewart Island/Rakiura and the Chatham Islands....
 statesman
Statesman

A statesman or stateswoman or statesperson is usually a politician or other notable figure of state who has had a long and respected career in politics at the national and international level....
, historian
Historian

A historian is an individual who studies and writes about history, and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, systematic narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all events in time....
 and poet
Poet

A poet is a person who writes poetry....
, who promoted social reform.

Biography

Reeves' parents were William Reeves
William Reeves (journalist)

William Reeves was a New Zealand 19th century journalist and politician. He was the father of the author and politician the Hon. William Pember Reeves....
 (who was a journalist and politician) and Ellen neé Pember; they had migrated to Canterbury in 1857, arriving three weeks before he was born.

He was educated at a private “prep” school in Christchurch
Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest Urban areas of New Zealand. It is midway down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of Christchurch....
, the local high school, and (1867–74) the Christ's College Grammar School
Christ's College, Canterbury

Christ's College, Canterbury is an Independent school, Anglican, Secondary school, Day school and boarding school for boys, located in Christchurch, New Zealand....
. Before entering politics, Reeves was a lawyer
Lawyer

A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an Attorney at law, counsel or solicitor; a person licensed to practice fraud." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain stability, and deliver justice....
  and journalist
Journalist

A journalist is a person who practices journalism, the gathering and dissemination of information about current events, trends, issues, and people while striving for viewpoints that aren't biased....
. He was editor of the Canterbury Times in 1885 and the Lyttelton Times (1889-1891).

Political career He represented the Christchurch seat of St Albans in Parliament
Parliament of New Zealand

The Parliament of New Zealand consists of the Monarchy in New Zealand and the New Zealand House of Representatives and, until 1951, the New Zealand Legislative Council....
 from 1887 to 1890, and then Christchurch from 1890 to 1896, when he resigned. He served as Minister of Labour (1891-1896) during the premierships of John Ballance
John Ballance

John Ballance , served as Prime Minister of New Zealand of New Zealand at the end of the 19th century, and was the founder of the New Zealand Liberal Party ....
 and Richard Seddon
Richard Seddon

Richard John Seddon , sometimes known as King Dick, was the longest serving Prime Minister of New Zealand of New Zealand. He is regarded by some, including historian Keith Sinclair, as one of New Zealand's greatest political leaders....
. As Minister he introduced the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1894
Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1894

The Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1894 was a piece of industrial relations legislation passed by the Parliament of New Zealand in 1894....
 and the Immigrants Exclusion Bill which barred immigrants from the country. His anti-foreigner stance earned him the nickname ‘Undesirable Bill’ Reeves.

London bound In 1896 he left New Zealand for London
London

London is the capital of both England and the United Kingdom, and the most populous municipality in the European Union. An important settlement for two millennia, History of London goes back to its founding by the Roman Empire....
, where he was Agent-General
List of High Commissioners from New Zealand to the United Kingdom

The High Commissioner from New Zealand to the United Kingdom is New Zealand's foremost diplomat in the United Kingdom, and in charge of New Zealand's diplomatic mission in the United Kingdom....
 (1896-1905) and High Commissioner
List of High Commissioners from New Zealand to the United Kingdom

The High Commissioner from New Zealand to the United Kingdom is New Zealand's foremost diplomat in the United Kingdom, and in charge of New Zealand's diplomatic mission in the United Kingdom....
 (1905-1908). He then became Director of the London School of Economics
London School of Economics

The London School of Economics and Political Science, more commonly referred to as The London School of Economics or LSE, is a specialist college of the University of London in London, England....
 (1908-1919). While in England
England

native_name =|conventional_long_name = England|common_name = England|image_flag = Flag of England.svg|image_coat = England COA.svg|symbol_type = Royal Coat of Arms...
, Reeves became a friend of a number of left-wing intellectuals, such as George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw

George Bernard Shaw, was an Irish people playwright.Although Shaw's first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, his talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60 plays....
, H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells

Herbert George Wells , known by his pen name H. G. Wells, was an England author, best known for his work in the science fiction genre. Wells and Jules Verne are each sometimes referred to as "The Father of Science Fiction"....
, and Sidney and Beatrice Webb
Beatrice Webb

Martha Beatrice Webb was an English sociologist, economist, socialism and reformer, usually referred to in the same breath as her husband, Sidney Webb....
, all Fabian
Fabian Society

The Fabian Society is a United Kingdom intellectual socialist movement, whose purpose is to advance the principles of Social democracy via gradualist and reformist, rather than revolutionary means....
 and LSE members. He was also a member of the Coefficients dining club
Coefficients (dining club)

The Coefficients was a dining club founded in 1902 at a dinner given by the Fabian Society campaigners Sidney Webb and Beatrice Webb. It was a forum for the meeting of British socialist reformers and New Imperialism of the Edwardian period....
 of social reformers.

In later life, Reeves served as Chairman of the Board of the National Bank of New Zealand
National Bank of New Zealand

The National Bank of New Zealand is one of New Zealand's largest bank. Throughout much of its history, the National Bank has provided banking services to mainly rural, personal, and small business customers....
 (1917-1931) and President of the Anglo-Hellenic League
Anglo-Hellenic League

The Anglo-Hellenic League is an organisation supporting and promoting Anglo-Greek relations and understanding. It was founded in 1913 in London and it carries out charitable and cultural work....
 (1913-1925).

Some of Reeves's more influential writings include his history of New Zealand, The Long White Cloud (1898), and State Experiments in Australia and New Zealand (1902). He also published a number of poems, such as The Passing of the Forest and A Colonist in his Garden.

William Pember Reeves married, in 1885, the feminist Magdalen Stuart Robison
Maud Pember Reeves

Maud Pember Reeves was a feminist, writer and member of the Fabian Society. She spent most of her life in New Zealand and United Kingdom.She was born in Mudgee, New South Wales, Australia, to bank manager William Smoult Robison; the family moved to Christchurch, New Zealand, New Zealand in 1868....
, who joined the Fabian Society
Fabian Society

The Fabian Society is a United Kingdom intellectual socialist movement, whose purpose is to advance the principles of Social democracy via gradualist and reformist, rather than revolutionary means....
. They had one son (Fabian Pember Reeves, who died in the First World War) and two daughters, one of whom was the feminist writer
Writer

A writer is anyone who creates a written work, although the word usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, as well as those who have written in many different forms....
 Amber Reeves
Amber Reeves

Amber Reeves was a United Kingdom Feminism writer and scholar, daughter of New Zealand politician and social reformer William Pember Reeves and Fabian Society feminist Maud Pember Reeves....
.

External links

  • at the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre