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                    [0] => Richard John Seddon was Premier of New Zealand from 1893 until his death in 1906.
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                    [custom2] => Hamer, David., 2002, "Seddon, Richard John 1845 - 1906", Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. www.dnzb.govt.nz [accessed 04/09/02].

The New Zealand Prime Ministers Office, n.d., "Richard John Seddon", Former Prime Ministers, www.primeminister.govt.nz [accessed 04/09/02].
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            [history] => 
New Zealand's longest serving Prime Minister, Richard John Seddon, was born in Eccleston, Lancashire in 1845. He received a good education at his father's school, Eccleston Hill Grammar. Seddon later apprenticed as an engineer, and on completing his apprenticeship, began a career as a mining engineer and retailer. 



He arrived in Melbourne, Australia in 1863. He prospected for gold on the Bendigo goldfields with little success. At the end of 1866, Seddon left Melbourne in the "Alhambra" for New Zealand and landed in Hokitika. Once in New Zealand, he made his way to the goldfields at Waimea. There he used his engineering skills, making a good deal of money. In 1869 he married and settled down in Kumara. 



Seddon held a number of positions in public office before entering Parliament. They included: Westland Provincial Councillor for Arahura 1874-76; Member of the Arahura County Council 1877 and Chairman until 1891; and first Mayor of Kumara 1878. 



In his parliamentary career, Seddon became Member for Hokitika in 1879, a position he held until 1881 when he became Member for Kumara. After nine years as Member for Kumara, Seddon was next elected as Member for Westland, from 1890 to1906. 



Seddon rose to the positions of Minister for Public Works, Mines and Defence in 1891 in the Ballance ministry. When John Ballance was prevented by illness in 1892 from taking his place in the House, Seddon took charge as acting Premier. Following Ballance's death in April 1893, Robert Stout was favoured to become the next leader of the Liberal Party, but he was outmanoeuvred by Seddon who was subsequently installed as Premier and took office on 1 May 1893.  Seddon became Treasurer from 1897 to 1906, and Postmaster-General from 1897 to 1899. 



Important reforms which were enacted in the early years of Seddon's premiership included extending the voting franchise to women in 1893, the Government Advances to Settlers Act 1894, the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act 1894, and the local option act that enabled electorates to declare upon liquor-licensing policy every three years. The reform that became most closely identified with Seddon personally was the Old-Age Pensions Act 1898. 



Seddon played a prominent role in the affairs of empire from 1897 on. He became well known for his promotion of New Zealand's interests and he attended the Colonial Conferences of 1897 and 1902. He also attended Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee, Edward VII's Coronation, and in 1902 he visited the New Zealand troops in South Africa at the invitation of General Kitchener. 



Seddon died suddenly in office on board the "Oswetry Grange" on his return from a trip to Sydney, on 10 June 1906.
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