Henry Augustus Levestam was a 19th century Member of Parliament from Nelson

Nelson, New Zealand

Nelson is a city on the eastern shores of Tasman Bay, and is the economic and cultural centre of the Nelson-Tasman region. Established in 1841, it is the second oldest settled city in New Zealand and the oldest in the South Island....

, 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...

. He was born in Boel

Böel

Böel is a municipality in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany....

, Schleswig-Holstein

Schleswig-Holstein

Schleswig-Holstein is the northernmost of the sixteen states of Germany, comprising most of the historical duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of Schleswig...

, when it was still part of Denmark in 1833, the son of Doctor Arnold Levestam and Henriette Fraenckel. Levestam's grandfather Matthias Levestam was born Moses Salomon Levi. In 1809 he was baptised in Moscow and took a new name.

Career

Levestam served his time at a Copenhagen engineering business. He then moved to London where he continued his mechanical studies. In about 1855 he sailed on the steam ship Lord Ashley as second engineer. The ship was one of the fleet belonging to New Zealand Steam Shipping Company. He was transferred to the Airedale and sailed on her until he settled in Nelson.

He married Miss Hargreaves, the daughter of one of Nelson's pioneer settlers in about 1861. They had eight children, four boys and four girls.

Shortly after his marriage he started the Soho Foundry with Mr Moutray. The partnership desolved and Levestam established his own engineering concern off Collingwood Street.

Political Career

In 1881, when Acton Adams retired, Levestam announced his candidature, supporting the Liberal's. Hon J C Richmond stood against him, but Levestam won with a subtantial majority. He stood again in 1884, defeating Mr Piper. In the 1887 election he was opposed by Messrs Piper and Gibbs, but again was successfully re-elected. Despite English being his second language Levestam was considered a fluent, although not eloquent, speaker in the house. He was also appreciated for his services by his electorate who, in January 1887, presented him with a purse of sovereigns as testimony of the esteem in which he was held by them.

He represented the City of Nelson

Nelson (New Zealand electorate)

Nelson is a New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, returning one Member of Parliament to the New Zealand House of Representatives. From 1853 to 1860, the electorate was called Town of Nelson. From 1860 to 1881, it was City of Nelson...

electorate from 1881 to his death from a heart attack on 11 February 1889, when he died.

Public Service

He was noted for listening to the concerns of others and helping those in need. He was a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters and supportive of other Friendly Societies.

Death

Levestam had been working in his shop on Collingwood Street. He headed home and once there complained of chest pains. He went to bed at 9pm and slept soundly till about 10pm when he awoke and almost immediately was seized with a fainting fit, from whioh however he recovered consciousness shortly before 11 pm. Levestam asked wife "Where am I". She told him she had sent for the doctor. He replied "Oh don't do that, I am better now" then sank back on his pillow and died.

He was not well off when he died and concern was expressed about his families financial state.