ATKINSON, ARTHUR RICHMOND (1863-1935) was born in New Plymouth, the only son of A. S. Atkinson (q.v.), and nephew of Sir Harry Atkinson. He attended Nelson College (1870-78) where he won the Newcombe Scholarship (1874) and was head of the school (1878). He went to Clifton College (England) with a scholarship, and in 1882 entered Corpus Christi College, Oxford, where he won the open classical scholarship. In 1887 he was awarded his B.A. degree. He was called to the bar at Lincoln's Inn in the same year and returned to New Zealand.

After serving his apprenticeship in law offices in Nelson and Dunedin, and acting as secretary to his uncle (Mr Justice Richmond) for a year, Atkinson began to practise in Wellington with C. B. Morison, and later on his own account. He sat in the House of Representatives as member for South Wellington (1899-1902). He was an active critic of the Liberal Government and questioned the policy of sending troops to South Africa, thus losing his seat. For some years he served on the Wellington City Council and on the Victoria College council (1912-33). He was a prominent member of the New Zealand Alliance, being president for a term (1920-22). A writer of distinction, Atkinson was also a journalist. He was a regular contributor to the Evening Post for more than 25 years, and to the Round Table, and he was New Zealand correspondent of the Morning Post (1907-11) and of The Times (1911-21). He died on 26 Mar 1935.

Atkinson married first (1900) a daughter of Professor T. Kirk. She died in 1921. In 1923 he married Emma Maud Banfield (1869-1931) who was born in South Wales, educated at a convent in Bruges and trained as a nurse at St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London. She was superintendent of the Philadelphia Polyclinic Hospital, U.S.A. (1895-1910), served (1914-15) with a British Red Cross unit in France, was appointed matron of the Lord Derby war hospital at Warrington, and in 1918 matron of the British war hospital at Rouen. (R.R.C. 1919).

N.Z.P.D., 27 Mar 1935; Nelson Coll. O.B. Reg.; Who's Who N.Z., 1908, 1924, 1932; The Dominion, 27 Mar 1935 (p); Evening Post, 24 Sep 1931, 26 Mar 1935.

Reference: Volume 1, page 27

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