William Reid Waters Esq, JP

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

 (died 1881), Mayor of Nelson from 1 September 1877 to 19 December 1877 and Councillor.

Private life

Waters was a migrant to Nelson where he started a boot and shoe making business in Bridge Street in early 1858.

He was also a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters

Ancient Order of Foresters

The Ancient Order of Foresters is a friendly society which was formed in 1834. The society is now known as Foresters Friendly Society, and has approximately 70,000 members...

 Benefit Society, being Treasurer of the Court of Robin Hood for almost 15 years. He was noted as being interested in the welfare of others. Because of this interest, despite ill health, he stood for Council

Nelson City Council

Nelson City Council is a Unitary Authority that administers the Nelson Tasman or "Top of the South" region alongside Tasman District Council. Nelson City Council is one of only five Unitary Authorities in the country...

 and was elected a Councillor.

Political career

On 1 September 1877 Edward Everett

Edward William Everett

- Political career :As a Councillor, Everett was named as one of several Councillors who voted for the appointment of Joseph Levien in 1875.Everett was the third Mayor of Nelson, replacing Joseph Levien who died in office. Everett was elected unopposed on 16 June 1876...

 announced his resignation as Mayor. Reluctantly Waters agreed to be Mayor for the remainder of the Everett's term.

During Waters' term as Mayor, he oversaw the fund raising in Nelson for the Indian Famine Relief Fund, which was prompted by a telegram from the Lord Mayor of London

Lord Mayor of London

The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...

 to the Mayors of New Zealand. Four hundred pounds was raised.

On 19 December 1877 the Council elected Joseph Dodson

Joseph Dodson

Joseph Reid Dodson JP , was the first Mayor of Nelson in New Zealand from 1874. He was a prominent brewer and Resident Magistrate in Nelson and his sixth generation descendants still operate a brewery in the city.-Early life:...

 as Mayor.

Waters died at Nelson after suffering from a very painful incurable illness, on Sunday, 6 February 1881. Waters father, Benjamin Waters, outlived him and died at Cambridge

Cambridge

The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...

, England on 12 December 1886 aged 82.