Frederick Joseph Moss

Frederick Joseph Moss was born in Longwood, on the island Sainte-Hélène probably in 1827 or 1828. Wire of Sarah Britton and unknown father, it makes his primary studies at the school of the Company of the Indies Orientales which at the time manages the island. To the 13 years age, it is sent to work near his uncle trading with Port Elizabeth, in South Africa. It returns to Saint Helene in 1847. In 1854, he marries Emily Ann Carew with which he turns over to South Africa to settle as a farmer, in the province of the Native one. Following the first harvest destroyed by an invasion of locusts, it finally decides to emigrate in New Zealand.

It unloads with his wife and her three children with Port Lytlleton close to Christchurch on November 12th, 1859. It settles there as a hardware merchant until 1862, date on which it resells his business to leave towards the province Otago, attracted by the gold discovery. It binds friendship with Thomas Dick to it a local politician. It without a future tries with him some businesses of which the foundation of a daily newspaper the " Otago Daily Mail" that it resells three months later.

In May 1863, Moss is elected representative of Dunedin to the Provincial Council of Otago, where he takes up the duties of Treasurer and person in charge of public works. For this reason, it launches in 1865 the construction of the Railroads of Otago but loses the same year the elections for the renewal of the Council.

It goes then to Fiji to try the adventure of the cotton whose prices strongly increased since the beginning of the American Civil War. It buys grounds in the south-east of Viti Levu and installs there with the assistance of sound beautiful brother a plantation. A hurricane and a staggering health ruin its projects and obliges it at the end of 1869 to return to New Zealand. It moves in with Auckland where it becomes a time journalist for New Zealand Herald. Thanks to the support of his friend Thomas Dick, fervent supporter of the Grey governor, Moss are made elect with the Room of the Representative responsible more precisely for public Education. Favorable to a reduction of the public expenditure, it would be said today that Moss was of liberal ideology. He also gives an opinion during his mandature, for the installation of the vote for all, although firmly opposed to the right to vote of the women.

Wearied political intrigues of microcosm wellingtonien, he resigns into 1889 of his function of member of Parliament to accept that less prestigious in his eyes of British Resident of the Federation of the Cook Islands. He sets up at it a competitor education system of that of the missionaries of the London Misdsionary Society with which he will have stormy relations. It is remainder one of the reasons of its failure to create land court, failure which will lead the new majority to the capacity with Wellington to replace it in 1899 by Walter Edward Gudgeon. Of return to Auckland, it takes part in periodicals writing some scathing attacks against the policy of its successor in the Cook islands. In 1901, he condemns the annexation of the archipelago, estimating that was likely to imply costs too exorbitant for New Zealand. Notorious freemason and prolific author, one owes him in addition to his many articles a half-dozen of political or historical tests such as " To plant experiment in Fiji " (1869); Through atolls and islands in the great south sea (1889); With school history off New Zealand (1889); and Notes one political economy from the colonial point off view (1897). He dies in Auckland on July 8th, 1904.

Source: Macdonald, Barrie. Moss, Frederick Joseph 1827/1828? - 1904 . Dictionary off New Zealand Biography. Volume 2 (1870-1900), 1993

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