Alfred Domett

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hon. Alfred Domett
4th Premier of New Zealand
In office 6 August 1862 – 30 October 1863
Preceded by	William Fox
Succeeded by	Frederick Whitaker

Born	20 May, 1811 Camberwell Grove, Surrey, England
Died	2 November, 1887
Political party	None

Alfred Domett, CMG (20 May, 1811 – 2 November, 1887) was an English colonial statesman and poet. He was born at Camberwell Grove, Surrey; his father was a ship-owner. He entered St John's College, Cambridge, but left the university in 1833.

[edit] Poetry

Domett published one or two volumes of poetry from 1833, and contributed several poems to Blackwood's Magazine, one of which, A Christmas Hymn, attracted attention. He was called to the bar, but for ten years he lived a life of ease in London, where he became the intimate friend of Robert Browning, of whose poem Waring he was the subject. An account of the friendship between the two men appeared in The Contemporary Review for January 1905, by W. H. Griffin<ref>Robert Browning and Alfred Domett, edited by F. G. Kenyon, 1906)</ref>.

Among his books of poetry, Ranolf and Amohia, a South Sea Day Dream, about Māori life, is the best known (1872), and Flotsam and Jetsam (1877) is dedicated to Browning.

[edit] New Zealand politics

In 1842 Domett emigrated to New Zealand where he filled many important administrative posts, being colonial secretary for New Munster in 1848, secretary for the colony in 1851, and Premier between 1862 - 1863. The most noteworthy change Domett brought about during his tenure in office was the shift of New Zealand's capital from Auckland to Wellington in 1865. In November 1863 he moved a resolution before Parliament (in Auckland) that "it has become necessary that the seat of government... should be transferred to some suitable locality in Cook Strait."<ref>Phillip Temple: Wellington Yesterday</ref> He returned to England in 1871, was created CMG in 1880.

[edit] References

This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

Prime Minister of New Zealand			Image:Coat of arms of New Zealand.png
Preceded by: Edward Stafford	(1862-1863)	Succeeded by: Frederick Whitaker
Sewell \| Fox \| Stafford \| Domett \| Whitaker \| Weld \| Waterhouse \| Vogel \| Pollen \| Atkinson \| Grey \| Hall \| Stout \| Ballance \| Seddon \| Hall-Jones \| Ward \| Mackenzie \| Massey \| Bell \| Coates \| Forbes \| Savage \| Fraser \| Holland \| Nash \| Holyoake \| Marshall \| Kirk \| Rowling \| Muldoon \| Lange \| Palmer \| Moore \| Bolger \| Shipley \| Clark