William Earnshaw

William Earnshaw (1852 – 29 December 1931) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for two Dunedin electorates representing the Liberal Party. He later served on the Legislative Council. He was one of the first labour representatives in Parliament.

'Plain Bill' Earnshaw was born in Manchester, England. He received his education in his home town and showed considerable ability at school. He trained as an all-round mechanic after his schooling. Aged 21, he left for the United States, where he spent two years. He visited Australia and came to New Zealand in 1878. He first settled in Christchurch and worked at the Addington Railway Workshops. He married Gwendoline Marie Payne in Christchurch on 21 July 1880. He moved to Dunedin in 1881, where he was a brass-founder at Anderson and Morrisons.

In 1890, Earnshaw contested the Peninsula electorate against the incumbent, William Larnach. Earnshaw's victory made him a national figure, one of the new breed of working-class MPs. Earnshaw represented the Peninsula electorate until the end of the term in 1893, and then the City of Dunedin electorate (1893–1896) in the House of Representatives. A strong prohibitionist, Earnshaw became one of Sir Robert Stout's few consistent supporters in Parliament after 1893. This put him off-side with Premier Richard Seddon.

Earnshaw came seventh in the three-member Dunedin electorate in the 1896 election. He came eighth in the three-member Wellington electorate in the 1899 election.

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