View source for William Crompton (politician)

{{Short description|New Zealand politician}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=August 2014}}
'''William Morgan Crompton''' (1811 – 27 December 1886) was a New Zealand politician.

==Early life and career==
Crompton was born in [[Birmingham]], England, in 1811, and received his education at an academy in [[Bristol]] run by [[Lant Carpenter]]. Crompton's father was a merchant trading with Brazil.<ref name="Taranaki Herald obit">{{cite news |title=Obituary |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TH18861228.2.13 |access-date=16 December 2016 |work=[[Taranaki Herald]] |volume=XXXV |issue=7257 |date=28 December 1886|page=2}}</ref> He lived in northern France for some years and held a [[Scholasticism|scholastic]] appointment. During this time, he took on the Catholic faith. He emigrated from England on the ''Lord William Bentinck'' and arrived in [[New Plymouth]] on 6 January 1852, and took land in nearby [[Omata]]. Later in 1852, he was the ''[[Taranaki Herald]]'''s first editor, but resigned after nine editions had been printed over a disagreement with the owners of the newspaper.<ref name="Taranaki Herald obit" />

{{NZ parlbox header|nolist=true|align=right}}
{{NZ parlbox
 |start      = {{NZ election link year|1853}}
 |end        = 1855
 |term       = 1st
 |electorate = {{NZ electorate link|Omata}}
 |party      = Independent politician
}}
{{NZ parlbox footer}}

==Member of Parliament==
Crompton served in the [[1st New Zealand Parliament]] as the representative for the [[Omata (New Zealand electorate)|Omata]] electorate. In the {{NZ election link|1853}}, he was declared elected unopposed.<ref>{{cite news | title=The Southern Cross | url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DSC18530920.2.4?query=omata%20election | access-date=15 December 2016 | work=[[Daily Southern Cross]]|page=2 | volume=X |issue=650 |date=20 September 1853}}</ref> He was ill in 1855 and initially feared that he could not attend the parliamentary session in [[Auckland]],<ref name="1855 election">{{cite news |title=The Elections |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TH18551121.2.6?query=omata |access-date=16 December 2016 |work=[[Taranaki Herald]] |volume=IV |issue=173 |date=21 November 1855 |page=3}}</ref> but he did go in the end.<ref>{{cite news |title=Untitled |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZ18550808.2.6?query=crompton |access-date=16 December 2016 |work=New Zealander |volume=11 |issue=972 |date=8 August 1855 |page=2}}</ref> His ongoing illness prevented him from declaring his intentions prior to the {{NZ election link|1855}} and when it appeared that the Omata electorate would not have a representative, [[Alfred William East]] stepped forward and became a candidate. In the end, the election was contested by Crompton, but East had a majority of six votes.<ref name="1855 election" /> Crompton did not serve in any further Parliaments.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=191}}

==Later career==
He was later a member of the [[Taranaki Province|Taranaki Provincial Council]] and continuously represented the Omata electorate from January 1862 until the abolition of provincial government in October 1876.{{sfn|Scholefield|1950|p=232}} He was Deputy [[Superintendent (New Zealand)|Superintend]] of Taranaki Province on three occasions: in 1863–64 under [[Charles Brown (New Zealand politician)|Charles Brown]], in 1870–74 under [[Frederic Carrington]], and from June 1876 once again under Carrington.{{sfn|Scholefield|1950|p=230}} He was the council's speaker from August 1862 until abolition 14 years later.{{sfn|Scholefield|1950|p=231}} As a member of the [[Taranaki Waste Lands Board]], he oversaw the establishment of towns in Taranaki including [[Inglewood, New Zealand|Inglewood]], which he had tried to name after the poet [[John Milton|Milton]],<ref name="teara">{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://teara.govt.nz/en/taranaki-places/page-9|title=Taranaki places - Stratford|last=Lambert|first=Ron|encyclopedia=Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand|date=7 September 2016|access-date=16 March 2018}}</ref> and Stratford-upon-Patea (later renamed simply [[Stratford, New Zealand|Stratford]]), after [[Stratford-upon-Avon]], the birthplace of [[William Shakespeare]].<ref name="teara"/>

His house and property were destroyed in the [[First Taranaki War]].{{sfn|Scholefield|1940|pp=184f}} After the [[Second Taranaki War]] was over, Crompton opened an academy in New Plymouth and ran it until 1884, when he retired for health reasons.{{sfn|Scholefield|1940|pp=184f}} He was a member of many organisations and was for many years Deputy Sheriff. He was an active member of the Catholic church.<ref name="Taranaki Herald obit" />

==Death==
Crompton was affected by a [[stroke|paralytic stroke]] for the last two years of his life. He died on 27 December 1886 and was survived by his wife, two daughters, and one son. He was buried at [[Te Henui Cemetery]].<ref name="Taranaki Herald obit" />

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{cite book | editor-last = Scholefield | editor-first = Guy | editor-link = Guy Scholefield | title = A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography : A–L | volume = I | year = 1940 | publisher = [[Department of Internal Affairs (New Zealand)|Department of Internal Affairs]] | location = Wellington | url = https://www.nzhistory.net.nz/files/documents/dnzb-1940/scholefield-dnzb-v1.pdf | access-date = 16 December 2016}}
*{{cite book |last= Scholefield |first= Guy |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 |authorlink=Guy Scholefield |edition=3rd |orig-year= First ed. published 1913 |year= 1950 |publisher=Govt. Printer |location= Wellington}}
*{{cite book |last= Wilson |first= James Oakley |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 |edition= 4th |orig-year=First published in 1913 |year= 1985 |publisher=V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer |location= Wellington |oclc=154283103}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-par | nz}}
{{s-new | constituency}}
{{s-ttl | title = [[Omata (New Zealand electorate)|Member of Parliament for Omata]] | years = 1853&ndash;1855 }}
{{s-aft | after = [[Alfred William East]] }}
{{end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crompton, William}}
[[Category:1811 births]]
[[Category:1886 deaths]]
[[Category:Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives]]
[[Category:Members of the Taranaki Provincial Council]]
[[Category:New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates]]
[[Category:19th-century New Zealand politicians]]
[[Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1855 New Zealand general election]]
[[Category:Burials at Te Henui Cemetery]]