William Sanderson Fitzgerald

William Sanderson Fitzgerald (12 November 1838 – 27 January 1920) was a New Zealand teacher and educationalist. Originally from Scotland, he emigrated to New Zealand in 1861. He was the first rector of Otago Normal School, also known as Dunedin Training College, the first place in New Zealand to offer formal teaching qualifications. Fitzgerald also formed the New Zealand Educational Institute. After retiring, he helped develop St Margaret's College at the University of Otago, the first women-only hostel. Throughout his career, Fitzgerald played a crucial role in the development of education in New Zealand.

Early life William Fitzgerald was born in Musselburgh, Midlothian, Scotland, on 12 November 1838 to Jean Sanderson and her husband James Fitzgerald, a hatter. On 17 May 1861 he married a fellow teacher, Annie Copland Annandale at St Cyrus, Kincardineshire.

On 16 August 1869, Fitzgerald began working as Head Master of Ōamaru District School. The position promised a better salary and possible prestige as it was being turned into a grammar school, a rarity in the South Island at the time. As rector, Fitzgerald is credited with growing the number of pupils and erecting new school buildings. He also taught English, arithmetic and mathematics.

After becoming closely associated with the secretary of the Otago Education Board, John Hislop, Fitzgerald was appointed to establish the Otago Normal School in Dunedin in 1876, a primary school with a department for teacher trainees. This was the first place in the country to offer formal initial teaching qualifications. Before assuming this role, he travelled to Victoria, Australia and researched the evolution of teaching education there. Fitzgerald taught science, geography and history himself. It was noted that due to the state of education in Otago at the time, he was "forced to teach his students each subject and then, if time allowed, teach them how to teach it". He even instructed some students in teaching Braille. Basing his vision off the principles he learnt of the Scottish Educational Institute, Fitzgerald's main concerns were raising the standard of education throughout the colony and improving on the conditions of schools and teachers. In 1885 he was appointed as first president of the New Zealand Educational Institute, advocating for a teacher's court of appeal and a teacher's legal defence.

Personal life Commemorative plaque at St Margaret's College. After listing his dates and positions, the text reads "To whose untiring effort for the welfare of young women students the establishment of the college was mainly due." William was heavily involved with his Christian faith his whole life. William was elected as an Elder of his faith community.

Fitzgerald was an accomplished marksman in the Volunteer Rifles, and ran evening classes for the Caledonian Society of Otago, which awarded him life membership for his contributions. In 1921 a plaque and photograph of Fitzgerald were unveiled at St Margaret's College.

Honorific eponym Mount Fitzgerald, on Banks Peninsula, is named after Fitzgerald.