Edward George Britton Moss
Encyclopedia
Edward George Britton Moss (1856–1916) was an Independent
Member of Parliament
for Ohinemuri in New Zealand
.
from 1902 to 1905.
(1867–1919) for the Ohinemuri seat. Moss was an Independent
Liberal
who bitterly opposed Premier
Richard Seddon
(Hokitika Guardian, 7 December 1905).
Edward Moss was born at Longwood
House, on the island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean
. He arrived in New Zealand
in 1859 and was educated at the Dunedin
High School and Church of England Grammar School in Parnell
, Auckland
. Moss was a lawyer
at Paeroa
(Cyclopedia of New Zealand 1902, Vol 2. p. 846). His father, Frederick Joseph Moss (1829–1904), was the member for Parnell
in the New Zealand House of Representatives
from 1878 to 1890. (Wilson, p. 221)
Edward Moss was also a Maori scholar and natural historian (A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, Edited by G.H. Scholefield, Vol. 2, p. 105, 1940, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington).
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Ohinemuri in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Member of Parliament
Edward Moss represented the Ohinemuri electorate in the New Zealand House of RepresentativesNew Zealand House of Representatives
The New Zealand House of Representatives is the sole chamber of the legislature of New Zealand. The House and the Queen of New Zealand form the New Zealand Parliament....
from 1902 to 1905.
Independent Liberal
At the 1902 election, Edward Moss defeated Jackson PalmerJackson Palmer
Jackson Palmer was the Member of Parliament for Waitemata and Ohinemuri, in the North Island of New Zealand.-Member of Parliament:...
(1867–1919) for the Ohinemuri seat. Moss was an Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
Liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
who bitterly opposed Premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
Richard Seddon
Richard Seddon
Richard John Seddon , sometimes known as King Dick, is to date the longest serving Prime Minister of New Zealand. He is regarded by some, including historian Keith Sinclair, as one of New Zealand's greatest political leaders....
(Hokitika Guardian, 7 December 1905).
Edward Moss was born at Longwood
Longwood, Saint Helena
Longwood is a settlement and a district of the British island of Saint Helena, where Napoleon was exiled from 1815 until his death on 5 May 1821. France owns the land around Napoleon's original grave, but the United Kingdom retains full sovereignty....
House, on the island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. He arrived in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1859 and was educated at the Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
High School and Church of England Grammar School in Parnell
Parnell, New Zealand
Parnell is a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is often billed as Auckland's "oldest suburb" since it dates from the earliest days of the European settlement of Auckland in 1841...
, Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
. Moss was a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
at Paeroa
Paeroa
Paeroa is a small town in New Zealand, in the northern Waikato region of the Thames Valley. Located at the foot of the Coromandel Peninsula, it is close to the junction of the Waihou and Ohinemuri Rivers, 20 kilometres from the coast at the Firth of Thames...
(Cyclopedia of New Zealand 1902, Vol 2. p. 846). His father, Frederick Joseph Moss (1829–1904), was the member for Parnell
Parnell (New Zealand electorate)
Parnell was a parliamentary electorate in the city of Auckland, New Zealand, from 1861 to 1954.The electorate was represented by ten Members of Parliament:* Reader Wood 1861–65 & 1870–78* Robert James Creighton 1865–66* Frederick Whitaker 1866–67...
in the New Zealand House of Representatives
New Zealand House of Representatives
The New Zealand House of Representatives is the sole chamber of the legislature of New Zealand. The House and the Queen of New Zealand form the New Zealand Parliament....
from 1878 to 1890. (Wilson, p. 221)
Edward Moss was also a Maori scholar and natural historian (A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, Edited by G.H. Scholefield, Vol. 2, p. 105, 1940, Department of Internal Affairs, Wellington).
Further reading
- The New Liberal Party 1905 by G.F. Whitcher (1966, MA(Hons) Thesis-University of Canterbury, Christchurch)
- The New Zealand Liberals: the Years of Power 1891-1912 by David Hamer (1988, Auckland University Press, Auckland)
- The New Zealand Parliamentary Record 1840-1984 by J.O. Wilson (1985, Government Printer, Wellington)
- Ministers and Members in the New Zealand Parliament Edited by G.A. Wood (1996, Otago University Press, Dunedin)