Henry Sewell
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The Honourable Henry Sewell |
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Henry Sewell ca 1872
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| 1st Premier of New Zealand | |
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In office 7 – 20 May 1856 |
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| Monarch | Victoria |
| Governor | Thomas Gore Browne |
| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | William Fox |
| 3rd Colonial Secretary of New Zealand | |
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In office 7 – 20 May 1856 |
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| Governor | Thomas Gore Browne |
| New Zealand Legislative Council | |
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In office 1861–1865 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
7 September 1807 Newport, Hampshire, England |
| Died | 14 May 1879 (aged 71) Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England |
| Political party | None |
| Spouse(s) | Lucinda Nedham (m. 1834) Elizabeth Kittoe (m.1850) |
| Relations |
Richard (brother) William (brother) James (brother) Elizabeth (sister) |
| Children | 6 |
| Religion | Anglican |
| Signature |  |
Henry Sewell (7 September 1807 – 14 May 1879) was a prominent 19th-century New Zealand politician. He was a notable campaigner for New Zealand self-government, and is generally regarded as having been the country's first Premier (an office that would later be titled "Prime Minister"), having led the Sewell Ministry in 1856.
Sewell was born on 7 September 1807 in the town of Newport, on England's Isle of Wight. His family was relatively wealthy, and Sewell received a good education. He eventually qualified as a lawyer. In 1840, however, Sewell's father lost a staggering sum of money when a bank failed, and died shortly afterwards, leaving the family with a great deal of debt. This put considerable strain on Sewell. In 1844, Sewell also suffered from the untimely death of his wife Lucinda (whom he had married on 15 May 1834 and had six children with). He put his sister in charge of his children and his mother and moved to London for better opportunities.
Sewell remarried, probably on 23 January 1850, and made plans to emigrate with his new wife Elizabeth Kittoe to New Zealand, hoping for improved financial prospects in the colony.
Sewell's connection to New Zealand arose through the Canterbury Association, a British organisation dedicated to the colonisation of the New Zealand region known as Canterbury. It is probable that John Simeon introduced Sewell to the Association, and he interacted greatly with John's brother Charles. Until Sewell's departure for New Zealand, he was the Association's deputy director, and contributed greatly to its activities. The Association's plan for colonisation encountered a number of serious problems, however, and considerable debts were incurred. Sewell was instrumental in solving these problems. Sewell personally arrived in Lyttelton, the port of Christchurch (the principal settlement in Canterbury) on 2 February 1853, hoping to sort out what remained of the colony's problems. Gradually, and despite conflict with provincial superintendent James FitzGerald, Sewell managed to get the colony back onto a reasonable course. Charles Simeon and family lived in Canterbury from October 1851 to December 1855, and they were the only people who Sewell and his wife socialised with.
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