Career
In Ireland, he trained as an apothecary but then emigrated to New Zealand, arriving in 1840. There, he became a significant 19th century politician. He represented two different Auckland seats.
First, he was the member for the City of Auckland from 1853 until he was defeated in 1855. He then represented the Northern Division (the area between Auckland and Whangarei) from 1861 to 1869. The ship was holed by a rock while steaming from Napier to Wellington and began sinking.
Captain Allen Harper deliberately ran the ship aground and thereby saved the lives of all those on board. He resigned his Legislative Council seat in 1872 and returned to the British Isles where he died at Southsea, England in 1882 aged 65.
