William Montgomery

William Hugh Montgomery (14 September 1866 – 27 July 1958) was a New Zealand politician of the Liberal Party, from the Canterbury region.

Born in Opawa, Christchurch in 1866, he was the eldest son of William Montgomery, who had represented the Akaroa electorate. Montgomery attended primary school at French Farm, and his high school education was at Christ's College and then Christchurch Boys' High School—he was the first day pupil to enrol there, and is the first name on the school roll.

When John Hall retired from the at the , Montgomery stood as a Liberal and defeated the senior politician William Rolleston. Montgomery represented the electorate in the 12th and 13th parliaments under Prime Minister Richard Seddon, defeating Frederick Anson in 1896 and speaking extensively in support of the Liberal government's Old-age Pensions Bill that passed in 1898.

Montgomery founded the Banks Peninsula Agricultural and Pastoral Association in 1909, and was president until 1913.

Montgomery maintained a strong interest in tree planting and the preservation of native forest. As a Wairewa County Councillor from 1910 until 1944 he supervised the planting of a memorial avenue of lime trees in Cooptown to commemorate the centenary of the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. Montgomery donated £1000 in 1955 to enable a youth hostel to be built in the reserve.