Henry Sewell

The Honourable Henry Sewell
Sewell c. 1872
1st Premier of New Zealand
In office 7 May 1856 – 20 May 1856
Monarch	Victoria
Governor	Thomas Gore Browne
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Sir William Fox
3rd Colonial Secretary of New Zealand
In office 7 May 1856 – 20 May 1856
Governor	Thomas Gore Browne
Member of the New Zealand Legislative Council
In office 1861–1865
Personal details
Born	(1807-09-07)7 September 1807 Newport, Isle of Wight, England
Died	14 May 1879(1879-05-14) (aged 71) Cambridge, England
Political party	Independent
Spouses	Lucinda Nedham ​ ​ (m. 1834; died 1844)​ Elizabeth Kittoe ​ (m. 1850)​
Children	6
Relatives	Richard Clarke Sewell (brother) William Sewell (brother) James Edwards Sewell (brother) Elizabeth Missing Sewell (sister)
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Henry Sewell (/ˈsjuːəl/;^[1] 7 September 1807 – 14 May 1879) was a 19th-century New Zealand politician. He was a notable campaigner for New Zealand self-government, and is generally regarded as having been the country's first premier (a post that would later be officially titled "Prime Minister"), having led the Sewell Ministry in 1856. He later served as Colonial Treasurer (1856–1859), as Attorney-General (1861–1862), and twice as Minister of Justice (1864–1865, 1869–1872).