Arthur Richmond Atkinson

Arthur Richmond Atkinson (5 August 1863 – 26 March 1935) was a New Zealand barrister and solicitor, Member of Parliament and Wellington City Councillor.

Early life and family

Atkinson was born in New Plymouth, New Zealand in 1872, the son of Arthur Samuel Atkinson and Jane Maria Richmond. On his father's side he was the nephew of Harry Atkinson. On his mother's side he was the nephew of (Christopher) William Richmond, James Crowe Richmond and Henry Robert Richmond. In 1900, he married temperance and women's suffrage campaigner Lily May Kirk in Wellington. After the death of his wife in 1921, Atkinson remarried Emma Maud Banfield, a nursing educator awarded the Royal Red Cross in 1917, in London in 1923.

He was educated at Nelson College in New Zealand and Clifton College in England. After studying at Corpus Christi College, Oxford, Atkinson was called to the Bar by Lincoln's Inn in 1887, before returning to New Zealand the same year.

Legal career

After a period working in law offices in Nelson and Dunedin, Atkinson served as secretary to his uncle, William (Mr Justice) Richmond, between 1889 and 1890. In 1892 he began legal practice in Wellington, joining Charles Morison to form the firm of barristers and solicitors Morison and Atkinson. He later became a partner in Atkinson, Dale and Mather.

Political career

Parliament of New Zealand
Years	Term	Electorate		Party
1899–1902	14th	City of Wellington		Independent

Atkinson represented the City of Wellington electorate from 1899 to 1902 when he was defeated; of nine candidates, he came fifth in the three-member electorate. He stood unsuccessfully for Wellington East in 1908, being defeated in the second ballot.

He was first elected to the Wellington City Council at the 1909 local-body election. He continued as a city councillor until 1921, when he did not seek re-election.

Other activities

Atkinson was active in the prohibition movement, and was president of the New Zealand Alliance from 1920 to 1922. From 1907 to 1911 he was the New Zealand correspondent for The Morning Post newspaper in London, and subsequently held the same role with The Times. He also contributed a biography of William Massey and the article on New Zealand to the 1922 edition of Encyclopædia Britannica.

Death

Atkinson died at his residence in the Wellington suburb of Wadestown in 1935. He was buried at Karori Cemetery.

References

New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by John Duthie, George Fisher, John Hutcheson	Member of Parliament for City of Wellington 1899–1902 Served alongside: George Fisher, John Hutcheson	Succeeded by John Duthie, George Fisher, John Aitken