Arthur Standish

Arthur Standish, who was then six years of age arrived in New Plymouth with his mother and two brothers, Frank and George, in August 1843. They arrived in Wellington by the ship Tyne and came to New Plymouth by the Government brig Victoria. Mr. Arthur Standish studied for the law and was admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of New Zealand by the Chief Justice, Sir Alfred Arney, on October 8, 1861, together with Mr. William Russell. Soon after the New Plymouth firm was known under the style of Thomas Standish and son. Mr. Thomas Standish died on May 31, 1863, and the practice was carried on by his son until June, 1903. Mr. Arthur Standish, sen., died on June 21, 1915.

Source: Centennial Passed, Law Firms Long Record, Three Generations in New Plymouth http://ketenewplymouth.peoplesnetworknz.info/documents/0000/0000/15...

MR. ARTHUR STANDISH, who was the first Mayor of New Plymouth, is a native of Yorkshire, England, and arrived in New Zealand with his parents when very young. He studied law with Messrs Merriman and Jackson, barristers and solicitors, in Auckland, and was subsequently admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court. Mr. Standish served as one of the early volunteers under Major Lloyd. Shortly after the breaking out of the war, he received a commission in the New Zealand Militia, and continued in active service until the conclusion of the Maori troubles in the Taranaki district. He then retired with the rank of captain, and received the New Zealand medal. In 1861, Mr. Standish commenced to practise as a barrister and solicitor in New Plymouth. He was appointed Crown Solicitor in 1863, and was one of the first to receive that appointment. As a member of the old Provincial Council, and as a member of the Provincial Government. Mr. Standish, with his colleagues, the Hon. Thomas Kelly and the late Sir Harry Atkinson, was instrumental in passing many measures for the benefit of the district. He was one of the first members of the New Plymouth Harbour Board, and did not retire until its prosperity seemed assured. Mr. Standish has been a member of the Taranaki Education Board and Land Board for over twenty years, and during his mayoralty obtained from the Government a grant of two thousand acres of land at Stratford as an endowment for the Borough Council. He has been an ardent sportsman, and has successfully ridden his own horses at many races. Mr. Standish resides at “Witiora,” in the suburbs, and is deservedly held in high esteem by the community, a proof of which is that he has never been beaten at any election. He married a daughter of the late Rev. Henry Handley Brown, of “Welbourne,” Taranaki, and sister of Mr. Henry Brown, sometime a member of the House of Representatives, and now (1906) in business as a sawmiller at Inglewood.

Source: THE CYCLOPEDIA OF NEW ZEALAND [TARANAKI, HAWKE'S BAY & WELLINGTON PROVINCIAL DISTRICTS] http://nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-Cyc06Cycl-t1-body1-d1-...

OBITUARY (extracts from) Arthur Standish, in his time was one of the most prominent public men in Taranaki. A native of Pontefract, Yorkshire, where he was born on March 21, 1838, he came out to New Plymouth with his parents when a young boy. His father was Mr Thomas Standish, a descendant of an Old Lancashire family, who became Crown Prosecutor here! He studied law with Messrs Merryman and Jackson, barristers and solicitors, of Auckland, and was subsequently admitted to the Supreme Court and commenced practice here in 1861. On the outbreak of the Native disturbances in 1860 Mr Standish joined the Taranaki Volunteers, and served throughout the war, and at its conclusion he retired with the rank of captain, and received the New Zealand war medal for his services. In 1863 he was appointed Crown Solicitor/being one of the first to receive that appointment, he held until 1894, ...For seven years he was president of the Taranaki Law Society. He was a member of the Provincial Government. ...From 1873 to 1875 he was Secretary for Lands, and in 1874 Deputy Superintendent of the Province. He was a member of the first Harbor Board, and remained a member for many years, assisting in laying the foundation of the present harbor. He was the last chairman of the Town Board, and,in 1876, was elected first Mayor of New Plymouth, a position he held for two. years. .... A keen sportsman and a great lover of horses, he was a good supporter of the Jockey Club, and has at various times owned a number of good horses, some of which he used to ride himself in their engagements in his younger days. During the last few years he has taken an interest in golf, the exercise in which restored his health some years ago. ... In 1868 he married a daughter of the late Rev. H. H. Brown, who, with four sons and two daughters, survives him. He was held in the very highest esteem and respect by everyone who knew him, and although he had long retired from active participation in public and business affairs, he leaves behind the record of a man who always gave the best that was in him to the service of his fellows. Possibly sometimes erring in his judgment on public matters, it must be said of him that he was always fearless in his advocacy of what he believed to be right and in his opposition to what he believed to be inimical to the best interests of the community.—Taranaki Herald June 24, 1915.

• Reference: FamilySearch Family Tree - SmartCopy: Jun 12 2018, 13:00:46 UTC