Leslie Lee

George Leslie Lee (1814 – 15 September 1897) was a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council from 1862 to 1870. A farmer by trade, he held significant land holdings. He acted as electoral officer in many elections in Canterbury.

Early life and career Lee was born in 1814. His parents were John Benjamin Lee and Amelia Lee (nee Knyvett) from Middlesex. He arrived in Lyttelton on the Stag on 2 August 1852. As Charlotte Godley had earlier written that he was "detained in England with a sick wife" but then arrived by himself, it is assumed that his first wife had died. Lee bought the Highfield sheep run, which adjoined the later town Waiau in North Canterbury. He sold Highfield in 1864 and bought Stoke Grange instead, which was split off from the Fernside run held by Charles Torlesse. Lee represented the Oxford electorate on the Canterbury Provincial Council from April 1867 to October 1870. He was a member of the Executive Council from 10 June 1868 to 4 June 1869. He was the returning officer for many elections in the wider Christchurch area.

Lee resigned all his positions in October 1870 as he went bankrupt, but the case never went to court. After his bankruptcy, they first lived at Styx Mill and then Avonside. Lee was buried at Avonside Cemetery, which belongs to Holy Trinity Avonside.