William Hunter Reynolds

William Hunter Reynolds (1 May 1822 – 1 April 1899) was a 19th-century businessman and Member of Parliament in Dunedin, Otago region, New Zealand. He was a cabinet minister. He is the only person who held membership on the Otago Provincial Council over the entire course of its existence (1853–1876), was Speaker of the council for three years, and was a member of the council's executive eight times.

Early life Reynolds was involved in shipping by trade, initially in partnership with his brother-in-law James Macandrew who had married his sister Elizabeth Hunter Reynolds. Reynolds himself married Rachel Pinkerton in 1856 and they raised nine children together.

Political career

In the inaugural 1853 provincial council elections, Reynolds was one of six representatives for the Dunedin Country electorate in the Otago Provincial Council (1853–1855). In the 1855 election, he successfully stood for the Town of Dunedin electorate. He represented that electorate, from the third council named City of Dunedin, until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. He was Speaker of Otago Province from May 1857 to December 1870. Between 1854 and 1865, he was on the council's executive on eight occasions.

He represented the Dunedin and Suburbs South electorate from 1863 to 1866, when the 3rd Parliament was dissolved. He then represented the City of Dunedin electorate in (resigned) and from to 1875. He then represented the Port Chalmers electorate (Port Chalmers was Dunedin's port) from 1876 to 1878, when he resigned.

He was appointed to the New Zealand Legislative Council on 30 April 1878, and served until his death.