John Robert Godley
| John Robert Godley | |
|---|---|
Portrait of John Robert Godley
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| Born | 29 May 1814 Dublin, Ireland |
| Died | 29 November 1861 (aged 47) London, England |
| Monuments | Godley Statue in Christchurch |
| Nationality | Irish |
| Alma mater | Christ Church, Oxford |
| Occupation | Colonial reformer |
| Employer | Canterbury Association |
| Known for | Founder of Canterbury |
| Spouse(s) | Charlotte Godley |
| Children | Arthur Godley, 1st Baron Kilbracken |
| Relatives |
Denis Daly (grandfather) James Daly, 1st Baron Dunsandle and Clanconal (uncle) Robert Daly (uncle) Sir Morgan George Crofton, 3rd Baronet (uncle by marriage) A. D. Godley (nephew) Alexander Godley (nephew) Charles Griffith-Wynne (father-in-law) Charles Wynne (brother-in-law) Hugh Godley, 2nd Baron Kilbracken (grandson) |
John Robert Godley (29 May 1814 – 17 November 1861) was an Irish statesman and bureaucrat. Godley is considered to be the founder of Canterbury, New Zealand, although he lived there for only two years.
Godley was born in Dublin, the eldest son of John Godley and Katherine Daly. His father was an Anglo-Irish landlord with country estates in County Leitrim and County Meath in Ireland. He was educated at Harrow School and Christ Church, Oxford, graduating in classics in 1836. He was always very sickly, which prevented him from pursuing a chosen career in law.
After graduating from college, Godley travelled over much of Ireland and North America. His travelling influenced and helped to form his ideas about the establishment and governing of colonies. In 1843 he was appointed High Sheriff of Leitrim and, in the following year, Deputy Lieutenant and a Justice of the Peace. He married Charlotte Griffith Wynne, daughter of Charles Griffith-Wynne of Denbighshire, in September 1846. In 1847 he failed in a bid to represent Leitrim in the UK parliament. He was one of three candidates in the two-member electorate, and he faced strong opposition by the Roman Catholic priests, who opposed his emigration scheme to Canada as a measure to address the Irish famine. Edward King Tenison and Charles Skeffington Clements beat Godley with 385 and 354 votes to 319.
At this time, because of his extensive travel and ideas on the subject of colonisation Godley was asked by Edward Gibbon Wakefield, the owner of the New Zealand Company, to found a colony in New Zealand that would follow the beliefs of the Church of England. Godley was persuaded to lead this new colony because of his political connections, which helped to secure funds for the colony.
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