William Daldy

William Crush Daldy (1816 – 5 October 1903) was a captain and New Zealand politician.

Biography

Daldy was born on 20 April 1816 in Rainham,<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> Essex, England.<ref name="Preservation Society bio">Template:Cite web</ref> He started going to sea aged 16 on the Mayflower, a ship belonging to his father Samuel Rootsey Daldy,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> an Ilford coal merchant.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His seafaring first brought him to Auckland in July 1841.<ref name="1966 Te Ara">Template:Cite book</ref>

On 10 December 1840 he sailed from Liverpool in his schooner Shamrock, arriving in Auckland in July 1841, but remained a seafarer. In 1847 he started timber milling near Auckland. From 1849 he was a partner in the shipping firm Combes and Daldy.<ref name="1966 Te Ara" /> He was a shareholder of Auckland Timber Co and his son, W C Daldy Jr., was its secretary.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In April 1864 the Daldy family sailed to London<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and in 1865 he became the English agent for the Province.<ref name="1966 Te Ara" /> They returned on Combes and Daldy's ship, Queen of the North, in 1866.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Walter Combes died in 1870.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Captain Daldy was the first chairman of the Auckland Harbour Board from 1871.<ref name="Akld history">Template:Cite book</ref> He was also a Justice of the Peace, Auckland Chamber of Commerce council member, Bank of New Zealand auditor, Auckland City Council member, New Zealand Insurance Co. director and volunteer fire brigade captain.<ref name="1966 Te Ara" />

On 22 April 1841 Daldy married Frances Harriet Pulham, in Launceston.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She died on 3 December 1877.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> They had 4 children, Frances Catherine Wrigley (25 April 1842<ref name=":0" />-19 June 1879),<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Maryanne Maria Mee Davies (7 August 1848 – 24 June 1926),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Edith Crush Daldy (1850<ref name=":0" />-6 February 1924)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and William Crush Daldy Jr (14 February 1852<ref name=":0" />-1934).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

William married Amey, née Hamerton, on 17 March 1880. Amey was president of Auckland branch of the Women's Franchise League and of the National Council of Women, and William gave a speech saying, "that men were cowards for not extending the franchise to women". Amey died in 1920.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Daldy died in Ponsonby, Auckland, on 5 October 1903.<ref name="1966 Te Ara" /> He had been in poor health for some time, before succumbing to pleurisy and dying of heart failure.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was buried at Purewa Cemetery.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Political and military career

Template:NZ parlbox header Template:NZ parlbox Template:NZ parlbox footer He represented the City of Auckland electorate in the 2nd New Zealand Parliament from 1855 to 1860, when he was defeated. He did not serve in any subsequent Parliaments. He was a minister without portfolio in the government of William Fox, and was also a member of the Auckland Provincial Council<ref name="Wilson">Template:Cite book</ref> in 1857 and from 1861 to 1864. During the invasion of the Waikato in 1863 he was a senior captain of the Auckland Naval Volunteers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

See also

• William C Daldy, a historical Auckland steam tugboat named after him