Oswald Curtis

Oswald Curtis
Oswald Curtis
Member of the New Zealand Parliament; for City of Nelson
	In office; 20 February 1866 – 11 August 1879
Personal details
Born	20 January 1821; London, England
Died	1 March 1902 (aged 81); Nelson, New Zealand
Profession	Merchant, politician

Oswald Curtis (20 January 1821 – 1 March 1902) was a 19th-century New Zealand politician born in London, England. He served on the Nelson Provincial Council and became the council's Superintendent for the last province's last ten years. In parallel, he represented the City of Nelson electorate in parliament from 1866 to 1879.

Early life

Curtis was born on 20 January 1821 in London. He was the son of Stephen Curtis and Eleanora Llewellyn.^[1] Together with his elder brother Herbert,^[2] he migrated to Nelson in 1853, arriving on 18 June.^[1]^[3]

Mahomed Shah

The Curtis brothers had been passengers on the barque Mahomed Shah. The ship sailed from England for New Zealand on 15 January 1853. On 18 April, about 400 nautical miles (740 km; 460 mi) south of Cape Leeuwin, the ship caught fire. All on board were rescued two days later by the brig The Ellen under Captain Pardon. The Ellen was sailing from Mauritius to Hobart, Tasmania. The ship's position was given as 40°10′00″S 119°10′00″E / 40.16667°S 119.16667°E / -40.16667; 119.16667.^[4] Those rescued were taken to Hobart, arriving there on 6 May 1853.^[5]

Political career

New Zealand Parliament
Years	Term	Electorate
1866–1870	4th	City of Nelson	Independent
1871–1875	5th	City of Nelson	Independent
1875–1879	6th	City of Nelson	Independent

He was a member of the Nelson Provincial Council from 1857 to 1867,^[6] becoming its Superintendent in March 1867 when Alfred Saunders resigned. He remained Superintendent until 1876 when the Provinces were abolished.^[7] Curtis was also a member of parliament for the City of Nelson from 1866 to 1879, when he was defeated.^[8] During his term as a member of Parliament, for one month between 10 September and 11 October 1872 Curtis was Commissioner of Stamps and Customs, Post-Master General and Telegraphs Commissioner under the short-lived third Stafford Ministry.^[9]

As Superintendent, Curtis opened the Nelson Waterworks on 16 April 1868 and turned the first sod at Stoke for the cutting of the Nelson–Foxhill Railway on 6 May 1873.^[10]

Community service

Curtis had been, at various times, Magistrate, Warden, Coroner, College Governor at Nelson. He was also Fellow of the New Zealand University and held a seat on its senate from 1870 to 1888.^[11]

Curtis was also the second President of the Nelson Chamber of Commerce, succeeding Alfred Fell (father of Charles Fell).^[12]

He died at his residence Highbury in Nelson on 1 March 1902, aged 81.^[13]

Notes

^ ^a ^b "Obituary". The Colonist. Vol. XLV, no. 10347. 3 March 1902. p. 2.
^ Scholefield 1940, p. 186.
^ "Obituary". Nelson Evening Mail. Vol. XXXVI, no. 52. 3 March 1902. p. 2.
^ "A pioneer settler". The Colonist. Vol. LXII, no. 15326. 15 March 1920. p. 5.
^ "A pioneer settler". The Colonist. Vol. LXII, no. 15328. 17 March 1920. p. 1 (Supplement). Retrieved 9 June 2025.
^ Scholefield 1950, p. 212.
^ Scholefield 1950, p. 209.
^ Scholefield 1950, p. 102.
^ Scholefield 1950, p. 34.
^ "The Nelson Waterworks". The Colonist. Vol. XLVII, no. 11294. 30 March 1905. p. 2.
^ "Obituary". The Star. No. 7362. 3 March 1902. p. 3.
^ "Early History of the Chamber of Commerce". Nelson Evening Mail. Vol. XLIII. 8 June 1909. p. 2.
^ "Death". The Colonist. Vol. XLV, no. 10347. 3 March 1902. p. 2.

References

Scholefield, Guy, ed. (1940). A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography : A–L (PDF). Vol. I. Wellington: Department of Internal Affairs.
Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.

Political offices
Preceded by Alfred Saunders	Superintendent of Nelson Province 1867–1876	Provincial Councils abolished
Preceded by Julius Vogel	Postmaster-General 1872	Succeeded by Julius Vogel
New title	Telegraph Commissioner 1872	Succeeded by Julius Vogel
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Alfred Domett	Member of Parliament for Nelson 1866–1879 Served alongside: Edward Stafford, Nathaniel Edwards, Martin Lightband, David Luckie, John Sharp, Acton Adams	Succeeded by Albert Pitt

[Colonist_obit-1] "Obituary". The Colonist. Vol. XLV, no. 10347. 3 March 1902. p. 2.

[FOOTNOTEScholefield1940186-2] Scholefield 1940, p. 186.

[3] "Obituary". Nelson Evening Mail. Vol. XXXVI, no. 52. 3 March 1902. p. 2.

[4] "A pioneer settler". The Colonist. Vol. LXII, no. 15326. 15 March 1920. p. 5.

[5] "A pioneer settler". The Colonist. Vol. LXII, no. 15328. 17 March 1920. p. 1 (Supplement). Retrieved 9 June 2025.

[FOOTNOTEScholefield1950212-6] Scholefield 1950, p. 212.

[FOOTNOTEScholefield1950209-7] Scholefield 1950, p. 209.

[FOOTNOTEScholefield1950102-8] Scholefield 1950, p. 102.

[FOOTNOTEScholefield195034-9] Scholefield 1950, p. 34.

[10] "The Nelson Waterworks". The Colonist. Vol. XLVII, no. 11294. 30 March 1905. p. 2.

[11] "Obituary". The Star. No. 7362. 3 March 1902. p. 3.

[12] "Early History of the Chamber of Commerce". Nelson Evening Mail. Vol. XLIII. 8 June 1909. p. 2.

[13] "Death". The Colonist. Vol. XLV, no. 10347. 3 March 1902. p. 2.

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