The Dictionary of Australasian Biography/Waterhouse, George Marsden

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1459517The Dictionary of Australasian Biography — Waterhouse, George MarsdenPhilip Mennell

Waterhouse, George Marsden, sometime Prime Minister of South Australia and New Zealand, is the son of the late Rev. John Waterhouse, General Superintendent of Wesleyan Missions in Australia and Polynesia. He was born in 1824, and commenced his public career in South Australia, where his father was for some time engaged in the ministry. In 1851 he was elected to the then partially nominated Legislative Council of South Australia for East Torrens, but resigned his seat in June 1854. In 1857 he was elected to the newly constituted Legislative Assembly for his old constituency, but only sat for one session. Mr. Waterhouse was returned to the wholly elective Legislative Council in April 1860, but again retired from Parliament in Dec. 1864. Mr. Waterhouse was Premier and Chief Secretary of South Australia from Oct. 1861 to July 1863. In 1869 he took up his residence in New Zealand, and the next year was nominated to the Legislative Council of that colony. Mr. Waterhouse was a member of the third Fox Ministry from Oct. 30th to Nov. 20th, 1871. In Oct. 1872 he became Premier of New Zealand, this being the only instance in Australasian history of the office of Premier being successively held by the same person in two colonies. In March of the next year, however, he resigned, finding that, with the leadership of the Lower House vested in Mr. (now Sir Julius) Vogel, he possessed the name rather than the reality of power. Recently Mr. Waterhouse has resided in England.