Henry Lahmann

For the Danish actor, see Henry Lohmann.

The Honourable Henry Lahmann
Member of the New Zealand Legislative Council
In office 9 July 1872 (1872-07-09) – 1 June 1890 (1890-06-01) (died in office)
Speaker of the Westland Province Council
In office 8 June 1874 (1874-06-08) – 31 October 1876 (1876-10-31)
Preceded by	John White
Succeeded by	Council abolished
Member of the Westland Province Council for Greymouth riding
In office January 1874 (1874-01) – 31 October 1876 (1876-10-31) Serving with two other members
Preceded by	Council inaugurated
Succeeded by	Council abolished
Chairman of Westland County
In office 12 January 1871 (1871-01-12) – 8 January 1873 (1873-01-08)
Preceded by	Conrad Hoos
Succeeded by	Henry Lee Robinson
Member of the Westland County Council for Greymouth riding
In office December 1868 (1868-12) – December 1872 (1872-12) Serving with two other members
Preceded by	William Henry Harrison
Personal details
Born	Henry Hermann Lahmann (1816-02-21)21 February 1816 Bremen, Germany
Died	1 June 1890(1890-06-01) (aged 74) Albert Street, Greymouth, New Zealand
Nationality	German-New Zealander
Occupation	Merchant, shipping agent. politician

Henry Hermann Lahmann (21 February 1816 – 1 June 1890), also known as Henry Herman Lahman and often referred to as H. H. Lahman, was a German immigrant who became a politician on the West Coast of New Zealand. He was active in provincial politics and was later appointed to the Legislative Council (1872–1890).

Biography

Lahmann was born in 1816 in Bremen, Germany, where he received his education. He went to London as a young man for business, before emigrating to Melbourne, Victoria, Australia in 1853, where he worked as a merchant and shipping agent for eight years.

New Zealand

Lahmann came to Otago in New Zealand when gold was discovered and had a tobacco store in Dunedin.[1] The West Coast gold rush brought him to Greymouth in late 1865,[2] where he had business interests in shipping, timber, and as a general merchant.[1]

Politics

Lahmann was one of the founding members of the Greymouth town improvement committee.[1] He succeeded William Henry Harrison as the representative of the Greymouth riding on the council of Westland County, the predecessor of Westland Province; he represented Greymouth from December 1868 until December 1872.[3] He was the fourth chairman of Westland County, from 12 January 1871 to 8 January 1873.[4]

When the Westland Province was inaugurated, Lahmann successfully stood for election in January 1874 for one of the three seats in the Greymouth electorate. He remained a member of the provincial council until the abolition of the council in October 1876.[5] After John White resigned as Speaker of the Provincial Council to join its Executive,[6] Lahmann became the council's second and last Speaker (8 June 1874 – 31 October 1876).[7]

He was a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council from 9 July 1872 until his death.[8]

Death

Lahmann died aged 74 on 1 June 1890 at his residence in Albert Street, Greymouth.[9] He had been in poor health for several years and had been almost blind during that time.[10] His wife had died many years before him.[11]^[failed verification]

Notes

1. Scholefield 1940, p. 479.
2. "Obituary". Grey River Argus. Vol. XXXVIII, no. 6773. 2 June 1890. p. 2. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
3. Scholefield 1950, p. 242.
4. Scholefield 1950, p. 241.
5. Scholefield 1950, p. 244.
6. "Death of Mr John White". West Coast Times. No. 2322. 6 September 1876. p. 2. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
7. Scholefield 1950, p. 243.
8. Wilson 1985, p. 156.
9. "Death". Grey River Argus. Vol. XXXVIII, no. 6773. 2 June 1890. p. 2. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
10. "Wellington News". The Star. No. 6869. 3 June 1890. p. 4. Retrieved 8 March 2014.
11. "Death of another Legislative Councillor". Ashburton Guardian. Vol. XII, no. 2430. 2 June 1890. p. 2. Retrieved 8 March 2014.

References

• Scholefield, Guy, ed. (1940). A Dictionary of New Zealand Biography : A–L (PDF). Vol. I. Wellington: Department of Internal Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2012. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
• Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.