William Hobson

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Captain William Hobson
1st Governor of New Zealand
In office 3 May 1841 – 10 September 1842
Monarch	Victoria
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Robert FitzRoy
Lieutenant-Governor of New Zealand
In office 30 July 1839 – 3 May 1841
Monarch	Victoria
Governor	George Gipps (Governor of New South Wales)
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Personal details
Born	(1792-09-26)26 September 1792 Waterford, Ireland
Died	10 September 1842(1842-09-10) (aged 49) Auckland, New Zealand
Resting place	Symonds Street Cemetery
Spouse	Eliza Elliott
Children	5
Military career
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Navy
Service years	1803–1842
Rank	Captain
Commands held	HMS Scylla HMS Rattlesnake

Captain William Hobson (26 September 1792 – 10 September 1842) was an Irish officer in the British Royal Navy, who served as the first Governor of New Zealand.^[1] He was a co-author of the Treaty of Waitangi.^[2]

Hobson was dispatched from London in July 1839, with instructions to take the constitutional steps needed to establish a British colony in New Zealand.^[3] He was sworn in as Lieutenant-Governor in Sydney (under George Gipps) and arrived in New Zealand on 29 January 1840.

On 5 February 1840, Hobson met with Māori chiefs at Waitangi, and the following morning they signed a treaty by which the chiefs purportedly voluntarily transferred sovereignty to the British Crown in return for guarantees respecting their lands and possessions and their rights as British subjects. Three months later, Hobson proclaimed British sovereignty over the islands of New Zealand. He also selected the site for a new capital, which he named Auckland.

In May 1841, New Zealand was constituted as a separate Crown colony, with Hobson promoted to Governor and Commander in Chief. In his final months Hobson was dogged by poor health which left him detached from political affairs. He died in office in September 1842.