Wairau by-election, 1872
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The Wairau by-election 1872 was a by-election held in the Wairau electorate during the 5th New Zealand Parliament, on 19 February 1872. The by-election was caused by the resignation of incumbent MP William Henry Eyes and was won by Arthur Seymour, who defeated Joseph Ward. Both candidates were prominent Marlborough politicians, and for both of them, this was their first attempt at election to the General Assembly.
William Henry Eyes became a member of the Marlborough Provincial Council in 1860, and in the 1861 general election, he became a member of the General Assembly for the Wairau electorate by defeating the incumbent, the later premier Frederick Weld. Eyes was Superintendent of Marlborough Province from 1865 to 1870, but some of his actions as Superintendent made him a controversial figure. At the 1866 election, Eyes was returned unopposed for the Wairau electorate. In 1871, Eyes was challenged by Henry Redwood but remained the preferred representative by the voters. In December 1871, Eyes was appointed Crown Lands Commissioner for the Marlborough Province and as a public servant, he could no longer hold a seat in parliament or the provincial council and had to resign. This resignation triggered the parliamentary by-election.
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