Charles Johnson Pharazyn
| The Honourable Charles Johnson Pharazyn MLC | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Charles Johnson Pharazyn during the time he was on the Legislative Council | |
| Member of the New Zealand Legislative Council | |
| In office 17 June 1869 – 11 March 1885 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 October 1802 London, England |
| Died | 16 August 1903 (aged 100) Wellington, New Zealand |
| Political party | Independent |
| Spouse(s) | Harriet Maria (m. 1825) Mary Catherine Buckland (m. 1832, d. 1864) Jessica Rankin (m. 1867, d. 1891) |
| Relations | William Noel Pharazyn (grandson) |
| Children | Robert Pharazyn |
| Occupation | runholder, merchant |
Charles Johnson Pharazyn (11 October 1802 – 16 August 1903) was a runholder, merchant, and member of the New Zealand Legislative Council.
Biography
Pharazyn was born in London in 1802. He arrived in Wellington on the Jane on 24 May 1841 and established himself as a merchant. He later became a runholder, and he leased a run with William Fitzherbert in Palliser Bay.
by his son Robert
After a visit to England, he became a merchant again in partnership with, first John Johnston, and later Nathaniel Levin. He retired from business in 1871.[1] He was eccentric; when he lost his spectacles in 1872, he walked through Wellington with a sign around his neck: "Lost, a pair of spectacles".[2] He claimed that the Wellington newspapers were so dull that nobody read them, so advertising in them was pointless.[2] He took a cold bath every morning, by which he explained his good health until old age.[3]
Pharazyn was appointed to the Legislative Council on 17 June 1869 by Edward Stafford.[4] He resigned from that role on 11 March 1885, so that his son Robert could succeed him.[1] This is said to be the closest case that the Legislative Council ever came to the hereditary principle.[2]
Pharazyn was married three times. First, he married Harriet Maria in London in 1825. Secondly, he married Mary Catherine Buckland in London in 1832, who died in 1864. Thirdly, he married Jessica Rankin on 24 December 1867 at St. Paul's Church in Wellington. His third wife died in 1891, and his four sons also died before him.[1] Pharazyn died at the residence of his daughter-in-law, Mrs William Pharazyn, "Seacroft", Hobson Street, Thorndon, Wellington.[5]
Pharazyn's son Charles was a farmer in the Wairarapa.[1] The son of Charles Pharazyn, William Noel Pharazyn (1894–1980), was a soldier, businessman, journalist, lecturer and trade unionist.[6]
References
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- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 A. H. McLintock, ed. (22 April 2009). "PHARAZYN, Charles Johnson". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage / Te Manatū Taonga. Retrieved 1 October 2012. Check date values in:
|year=, |year= / |date= mismatch(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Jackson, William Keith (1972). The New Zealand Legislative Council : a study of the establishment, failure and abolition of an upper house. Dunedin: University of Otago Press. pp. 40, 58.
- ↑ Cyclopedia Company Limited (1897). "Mr. Charles Johnson Pharazyn". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Wellington Provincial District. Wellington: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
- ↑ Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. p. 161. OCLC 154283103.
- ↑ Page 5, The Passing of a Centenarian. Evening Post, Volume LXVI, Issue 41, 17 August 1903
- ↑ Franks, Peter. "Pharazyn, William Noel - Biography". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 1 October 2012.