CURTIS, OSWALD (1821-1902) was the son of Stephen Curtis, a London merchant, and was educated at private schools and Hackney Grammar School, matriculating at the University of London. He went into commercial life and in 1853 came to New Zealand and entered into business at Nelson with his brother, H. E. Curtis (q.v.) as merchants.

Curtis was M.P.C. for Nelson (1857-67) and in 1866 he was elected to Parliament for the same constituency, which he represented till 1879. Early in 1867 the Superintendency of Nelson became vacant owing to the resignation of Saunders, and Curtis was elected to the position, which he held until the abolition of the provinces. In 1872 he was Postmaster-general and Commissioner of Customs for four weeks in the Stafford ministry. He had been a consistent opponent of Stafford in his earlier political life. Curtis retired from Parliament in 1879 and a few months later was appointed chairman of the royal commission on railways. He was afterwards a resident magistrate and acted on several commissions of inquiry, notably that in connection with the Dunedin gaol (1883). He was a governor of Nelson College (1874), a trustee of the Nelson Savings Bank, and a member of the New Zealand University senate (1870-87). He died on 1 Mar 1902.

Nelson P.C. Proc; Cycl. N.Z., V (p); Saunders; The Colonist, 3 Mar 1902, 11 Aug.

Portrait: Parliament House.

Reference: Volume 1, page 110

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