William Rolleston

The Honourable William Rolleston
William Rolleston in retirement in 1900
6th Minister of Justice
In office 15 December 1880 – 23 April 1881
Prime Minister	John Hall
12th Minister of Native Affairs
In office February 1881 – 19 October 1881
Prime Minister	John Hall
3rd Leader of the Opposition
In office 31 August 1891 – 8 November 1893
Preceded by	John Bryce
Succeeded by	William Russell
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Avon
In office 1868 – 1884
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Geraldine
In office 1884 – 1887
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Halswell
In office 1890 – 1893
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Riccarton
In office 1896 – 1899
4th Superintendent of Canterbury Province
In office 22 May 1868 – 1 January 1877
Personal details
Born	(1831-09-19)19 September 1831 Yorkshire, England
Died	8 February 1903(1903-02-08) (aged 71) Canterbury, New Zealand
Spouse(s)	Mary Rolleston (married 1865)
Relations	George Rolleston (brother) Joseph Brittan (father-in-law) Frank Rolleston (son) John Rolleston (son)
Profession	Farmer

William Rolleston (19 September 1831 – 8 February 1903) was a New Zealand politician, public administrator, educationalist and Canterbury provincial superintendent.

Rolleston was born on 19 September 1831 at Maltby, Yorkshire as the 9th child of the Rev. George Rolleston and Anne Nettleship. He was a direct descendant of Sir Michael Stanhope, the Groom of the Stool of King Henry VIII, and 21st in direct line from King Edward I (and thus 28th from William the Conqueror). His brother was the physician and zoologist George Rolleston. He attended Rossall School and Emmanuel College, where he graduated in 1855 with second class honours in the classical tripos. He had intended to move to Canterbury but his father advised against it so he took up tutoring. However, this was merely a means of raising enough money to leave England in order to reject 'Conservatives and Ecclesiastics'.

Rolleston first joined the Canterbury Provincial Council when he was appointed to the Canterbury Executive Council on 4 December 1863. His tenure on the Executive Council finished on 16 June 1865. On 23 January 1864, he was elected as a provincial councillor in the Heathcote electorate and remained a councillor until 23 June 1865. The previous day, he was elected unopposed as the 4th (and last) Superintendent of the Canterbury Province. He held that office until the abolition of the provinces on 31 October 1876.

Rolleston represented the Avon electorate from a by-election in 1868 to 1884. In 1878 as an MP Rolleston proposed a school for deaf children. The government agreed to open a state school for the deaf in Christchurch, and the Sumner Deaf and Dumb Institution opened in 1880.