Ell, Henry George (1862-1934)
Dates
- Existence: 1862 - 1934
Biography
For over forty years Harry Ell, dominated municipal politics in Christchurch. Born in Christchurch in 1862 he served a varied working life as junior attendant at the Canterbury Museum, surveyor on a sheep station, and even serving for three and a half years as a member of the Armed Constabulary at Parihaka, then returning to Christchurch to work as a printer and salesman for a firm of stationers and bookbinders. From the age of fifteen Ell took an active interest in politics as an ardent prohibitionist and promoter of trade unionism and labour politics.
He was President of the Christchurch Tailoresses and Pressers Union, member of the Knights of Labour and member of the Canterbury Prohibition Council. In 1896 he stood for Parliament for the first time as a Progressive Liberal and with 4,705 votes was fifth in the race for the three Christchurch City seats. In 1897 he was elected to the Spreydon Road Board. From 1893-1896 Ell was President of the Progressive Liberal Association, and in 1899 became the junior member for Christchurch City.
In 1905 he won the Christchurch South seat which he held continuously until 1919 when he resigned to contest the Lyttelton seat. Ell was defeated and lost again in 1922 and 1925 when he sought to regain the Christchurch South seat. He served briefly as Postmaster-General in Mackenzie's short-lived Liberal Cabinet in 1912, as an advocate of a state bank and the referendum initiative. In the latter years of his life Ell devoted himself to the promotion of the Summit Road and a chain of rest houses for the use of trampers along the Port Hills from Sumner to Akaroa.
Ell died, 27 June 1934, still characteristically promoting the conservation and recreational use of the Port Hills; a visionary ahead of his time who insisted on employing relief workers creatively in the promotion of his dream during the worst years of the Depression.
The Sign of the Takahe is one of the roadhouses for travellers designed by Harry Ell and built on the Summit Road of the Port Hills. The Sign of the Takahe was started in 1918 but it took more than twenty years for it to be completed. Harry Ell used artists and craftsmen to build this beautiful rest house and tea rooms, but he did not live to see it completed, dying in 1934.
Found in 3 Collections and/or Records:
George Pope Sign of the Takahe and Harry Ell papers
Papers compiled by George Pope, a cabinet maker, who worked on the Sign of the Takahe during the Depression. He carved the coat-of-arms. Includes press clippings, 1936-1941 and 1961-1966, with sketches of the coat of arms, an heraldic eagle, cat and banner, and photocopies for use.
Harry Ell papers
The personal papers of Henry George Ell include letter books; scrapbooks; speeches and photographs. Also includes Summit Road, a scrapbook of newspaper cuttings, photographs and letters wned by Henry George Ell.
A further body of records is a small file of brochures and promotional letters of John W. Jameson, to co-ordinate public opinion, raise finance, and carry out projects for the improvement of the Summit Road and its scenic reserves.
New Zealand Post Office newspaper clippings
Scrapbook of press clippings, with most concerning the Hon. Mr. Harry Ell in his role as Postmaster-General and relating to the Post Office. Some articles are concerning Porirua's history, written when the Poriua Post Office was opened.