William Rickford Collett

William Rickford Collett
1842 portrait by Richard James Lane
Member of Parliament for Lincoln
In office 30 June 1841 – 29 July 1847 Serving with Charles Sibthorp
Preceded by	Charles Sibthorp Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Succeeded by	Charles Sibthorp Charles Seely
Personal details
Born	1810
Died	1882 (aged 71–72)
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative

William Rickford Collett (1810–1882)[1] was a British mine owner[2] and Conservative politician.[3] Collett was elected Conservative Member of Parliament for Lincoln at the 1841 general election and held the seat until 1847 when he stood for election but was defeated.[4][3]

Biography

Collett was born in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, in 1810.[5] In the 1837 United Kingdom general election, he unsuccessfully ran as a candidate for Boston in Lincolnshire.[6] Between 1841 and 1847, he served as the Member of Parliament for Lincoln.[5]

In the late 1840s or early 1850s, Collett moved to New South Wales, becoming a director of the Australian Mutual Mining Association.[5] In 1854, he was appointed the Commissioner for Roads for the colony, undertaking surveying work on the Northern Road between Morpeth and Murrurundi.[5] In March 1864, Collett moved to New Zealand, becoming the Chief Superintendent of Roads and Bridges.[5] In this role, he facilitated the construction of rail south of Pōkeno, connecting the Mangatāwhiri River south to Meremere, and preparing the initial designs of the Panmure Bridge in Auckland.[5]

Collett was declared insolvent due to financial difficulties in 1866, due to the foreclosure of a gold mining venture at Denison Town, New South Wales which he had financed. He returned to the British Isles,[5] contesting a seat for the Conservative Party for the 1869 Tipperary by-election, however was unsuccessful, receiving only 12 votes.[7]

Collett died in 1882, and was buried at Deans Grange Cemetery in Dublin.[5]

References

1. Rayment, Leigh (11 October 2018). "The House of Commons: Constituencies beginning with "L"". Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page. Archived from the original on 24 November 2018. Retrieved 24 November 2018.
2. "William Rickford Collett". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
3. Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 202–204. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
4. Craig, F. W. S., ed. (1977). British Parliamentary Election Results 1832-1885 (1st ed.). London: Macmillan Press. p. 187. ISBN 978-1-349-02349-3.
5. "Panmure Bridge Swing Span and Abutment". Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
6. Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. pp. 196–198. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
7. Walker, B.M., ed. (1978). Parliamentary Election Results in Ireland, 1801-1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. ISBN 0901714127.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Mr William Collett

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Charles Sibthorp Edward Bulwer-Lytton	Member of Parliament for Lincoln 1841–1847 With: Charles Sibthorp	Succeeded by Charles Sibthorp Charles Seely