Edward Wakefield was the son of Felix Wakefield

Felix Wakefield

Felix Wakefield, , was the seventh child of Edward Wakefield and Susanna Crash of Felstead, he was the brother of Arthur and Edward Gibbon Wakefield. In 1831 he married Marie Bailley, by whom he had nine children.When he left school Felix began working with his father and training as a surveyor...

, one of Edward Gibbon Wakefield

Edward Gibbon Wakefield

Edward Gibbon Wakefield was a British politician, the driving force behind much of the early colonisation of South Australia, and later New Zealand....

’s younger brothers. Edward was born in Launceston

Launceston, Tasmania

Launceston is a city in the north of the state of Tasmania, Australia at the junction of the North Esk and South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River. Launceston is the second largest city in Tasmania after the state capital Hobart...

, Tasmania

Tasmania

Tasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...

, brought up 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...

, and educated in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 and at King's College, London.

He married Agnes Hall.

He was a journalist and then politician in New Zealand, who showed considerable promise, though this was not fulfilled.

He was the Member of Parliament for Geraldine

Geraldine (New Zealand electorate)

Geraldine was a former parliamentary electorate in the South Canterbury region of New Zealand that existed three times from 1875 to 1911. It was represented by six Members of Parliament.-History:...

 1875-81, then for Selwyn

Selwyn (New Zealand electorate)

Selwyn is the name of three seats in the New Zealand House of Representatives, based around towns on the outskirts of Christchurch city. In an historical sense, the name refers to an electorate that existed between 1866 and 1919...

 1884-87, when he resigned. He was elected unopposed in a 1884 by-election. He was a colourful, volatile and ambitious politician.

He then concentrated on writing, producing New Zealand after Fifty Years (1889).

Later he moved to America, then London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. He died in London, blind, in a Carthusian Charterhouse in 1924.