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Alfred Saunders
Alfred Saunders
3rd Superintendent of Nelson Province
	In office; March 1865 – 4 February 1867
Preceded by	John Perry Robinson
Succeeded by	Oswald Curtis
Personal details
Born	12 June 1820
Died	28 October 1905 (aged 85)
Political party	Independent
Spouse	Rhoda Flower (m. 1847; died 1898)
Children	ten, including Sarah Page, Samuel Saunders
Relatives	Mary Bayly (sister); William Saunders (brother); Robert Page (grandson); Kae Miller (great-granddaughter)

Alfred Saunders (12 June 1820 – 28 October 1905) was a New Zealand farmer, reformer, women's suffrage and temperance advocate and politician.^[2]^[3]^[4] He was Superintendent of Nelson Province and represented several electorate in the House of Representatives.

Early life and family

Saunders was born in 1820 in Market Lavington, the youngest son of Mary and Amram Saunders. He was educated in Market Lavington and at a Bristol academy.^[1] The temperance campaigner Mary Bayly was his sister^[5] and William Saunders (1823–1895) was a younger brother.^[6]

He married Rhoda Flower in 1847.^[1] They had ten children, including Sarah Page and Samuel Saunders.^[7]^[8] Rhoda died in 1898.^[9]

He was remarried in England in 1899 to Sarah Box.^[10]^[1]

Political career

New Zealand Parliament
Years	Term	Electorate
1861–1864	3rd	Waimea	Independent

1878–1879	6th	Cheviot	Independent
1879–1881	7th	Cheviot	Independent

1889–1890	10th	Lincoln	Independent
1890–1893	11th	Selwyn	Independent
1893–1896	12th	Selwyn	Independent

He was elected onto the Nelson Provincial Council representing Waimea South in 1855 and remained a councillor until his election of Superintendent for the Nelson Province from 1865 to 1867. He was elected as Member of Parliament for Waimea in 1861, and he resigned from this seat in 1864. He then represented Cheviot from 1878 to 1881 when he was defeated. He unsuccessfully contested the 1882 by-election in the Wakanui electorate. He contested the 1888 by-election in the Ashley electorate and was defeated by John Verrall by just two votes.^[11]

From 1889 to 1890 he represented the Lincoln electorate and from 1890 to 1896 he represented Selwyn, being defeated at the general election of 1896 for the latter constituency.^[12] He supported the Temperance Union petition in favour of woman's suffrage to Parliament in 1891. He was involved, as an MP, in the political machinations to get legislation passed to give voting rights to New Zealand women, including during the final stages of the legislation in 1893. He also corresponded with the leader of the suffrage movement, Kate Sheppard, to keep her up-to-date with the fast-changing political situation in parliament as the legislation was being debated.^[4]

Authorship

Alfred Saunders was an author and his published titles include;

"History of New Zealand" a comprehensive two volume publication (550 pages.) 1896–99. Contains much on early NZ Governments. Available on line.
"The Perfect Draft Horse" 1886
"Tales of a Pioneer" published by his daughters, 1927. Also available on line
"Our Domestic Birds" 1883
"Our Horses" 1885.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d McGibbon, Ian. "Saunders, Alfred". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
^ "Saunders, Alfred, 1820-1905". natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
^ Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
^ ^a ^b Grimshaw, Patricia (1972). Women's Suffrage in New Zealand. Auckland: Auckland University Press. ISBN 9781869400217.
^ Cale, Michelle (23 September 2004), "Bayly [née Saunders], Mary (1816–1899), temperance activist and writer", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/50730, ISBN 978-0-19-861412-8, retrieved 19 May 2023
^ "William Saunders – political firebrand". Market Lavington Museum. 19 April 2013. Retrieved 1 February 2021.
^ Bohan, Edmund. "Sarah Page". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 5 December 2015.
^ "Saunders, Samuel, 1857-1943". natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 3 February 2024.
^ "Deaths". Timaru Herald. Vol. LX, no. 2715. 27 May 1898. p. 5. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
^ "News and Notes". Papers Past (National Library of New Zealand ). 1899.
^ "Ashley Election". The Press. Vol. XLV, no. 7132. 31 July 1888. p. 5. Retrieved 14 February 2014.
^ "Mr. Alfred Saunders". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Canterbury Provincial District. Christchurch: The Cyclopedia Company Limited. 1903. Retrieved 14 April 2010.