Vincent Pyke
Vincent Pyke, born Vincent Pike, (4 February 1827 – 5 June 1894) was a 19th-century politician in Otago, New Zealand and Victoria, Australia.
Early life
Pyke was born in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England[1] as Vincent Pike. He married Frances Renwick on 7 September 1846 at Bristol, England; they had four sons and one daughter. He changed the spelling of his surname some time after their wedding.[2]
Australia
Pyke and family went to Australia in 1851, first to South Australia and then the gold diggings in Victoria where he spent two years as a miner around Forest Creek, Castlemaine and Fryer's Creek Bendigo[1] and opened a store at Forest Creek. Pyke was elected to represent Castlemaine in the Victorian Legislative Council from November 1855 to March 1856 and Castlemaine Boroughs in the Victorian Legislative Assembly from November 1856 to February 1857 and again from October 1859 and June 1862.[3]
In 1857 Pyke was appointed emigration agent in England in conjunction with the Right Hon. Hugh Childers.[1]
New Zealand
| Parliament of New Zealand | ||||
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | |
| 1873–1875 | 5th | Wakatipu | Independent | |
| 1875–1879 | 6th | Dunstan | Independent | |
| 1879–1881 | 7th | Dunstan | Independent | |
| 1881–1884 | 8th | Dunstan | Independent | |
| 1884–1887 | 9th | Dunstan | Independent | |
| 1887–1890 | 10th | Dunstan | Independent | |
| 1893–1894 | 12th | Tuapeka | Liberal | |
In 1862 Pyke visited the Otago goldfields, and became Secretary or Commissioner of the goldfields for the Otago Provincial Council. He then moved to Dunstan and Clyde. He was the first Chairman of Vincent County, which was named after him following an ironic suggestion by an opponent.
He represented the electorates of Wakatipu 1873–1875, then Dunstan 1875–1890.[4] He contested the 1890 election in the Mount Ida electorate, but was beaten by Scobie Mackenzie.[2] He then represented Tuapeka from 1893 to 1894 when he died.[4] He was noted for his loyalty to Clyde and his Central Otago constituents.
Pyke was also a journalist, and wrote two novels about life on the goldfields, Wild Will Enderby (1873) and The Adventures of George Washington Pratt (1874).
Death
Pyke died at Lawrence, Otago, and is buried in the Dunedin Northern Cemetery.
References
- 1 2 3 Mennell, Philip (1892). "
Pyke, Hon. Vincent". The Dictionary of Australasian Biography. London: Hutchinson & Co. Wikisource - 1 2 Hearn, T. J. "Pyke, Vincent - Biography". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ↑ "Pyke, Vincent". Parliament of Victoria. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- 1 2 Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer. p. 133.
External links
- five works by Pyke from the New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
- Cartoon of Vincent Pyke in New Zealand Parliament
| Victorian Legislative Council | ||
|---|---|---|
| New creation | Member for Castlemaine November 1855 – March 1856 With: James Atkin Wheeler |
Original Council abolished |
| Victorian Legislative Assembly | ||
| New creation | Member for Castlemaine Boroughs November 1856 – February 1857 Served alongside: Alexander Palmer |
Succeeded by Robert Sitwell |
| New creation | Member for Castlemaine October 1859 – June 1862 Served alongside: John Macadam Butler Cole Aspinall |
Succeeded by George Allen Smyth |
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
| Preceded by Bendix Hallenstein |
Member of Parliament for Wakatipu 1873–1875 |
Succeeded by Henry Manders |
| Preceded by Thomas Shepherd |
Member of Parliament for Dunstan 1875–1890 |
Electorate abolished |
| Preceded by Hugh Valentine |
Member of Parliament for Tuapeka 1893–1894 |
Succeeded by William Larnach |
|