Samuel Bealey

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Samuel Bealey (1821 – 1909) was a 19th century Canterbury, New Zealand politician.

He came out to Canterbury in 1851, a pastoralist with capital to invest in farming. He married Rose Ann, daughter of Archdeacon Paul in 1852. Having made money, he returned to England, in 1867 and died there. His son Nestor managed Haldon (sheep) Station.

He was a member of the Canterbury Provincial Council from 1853, and Superintendent from 1863 to 1866. In 1863 William Sefton Moorhouse was in financial crisis, and put in Bealey as Superintendent instead, as a “safe man”, to keep his rival James Edward Fitzgerald out. But Bealey, who was usually dependent on stronger personalities, decided to resign, then changed his mind and when the Moorhouse team resigned collected a new team. Most reports on him are rather scathing, a “nobody” or a “bookseller”!

The Bealey River and the settlement of Bealey in Canterbury are named for him.