FENWICK, WILLIAM (1851-1906) was born in England, came to Melbourne with his parents in 1853 and to Otago in 1856. Educated at the public schools and for a while at J.L. Schaw's Grammar School, he started life as apprentice in the jobbing room of the Otago Daily Times (1864) and before finishing his five years went into the office of his brother (G. Fenwick, q.v.), the Tuapeka Press at Lawrence. He continued with his brother when he founded the Cromwell Argus (1869), in which he became a partner when his brother went to Dunedin. For a few years he was overseer in the Guardian office in Dunedin, and in 1876, with J. H. Clayton, he bought the Evening News, the name of which they changed to The Age. In 1878 Fenwick became printer of the Otago Witness and he succeeded to the editorship on the death of Robert Wilson (1879).

During the 27 years of his editorship he developed the Otago Witness in a remarkable manner, making it not only the weekly of Otago, but the recognised organ for the encouragement of New Zealand talent in prose and verse. For some years he conducted 'Chats with the Farmers' and for 11 years the theatrical column. The 'Little Folks' page was inaugurated in 1886 and carried on by Fenwick in person till his death (on 25 Sep 1906). Fenwick took no part in public life.

Otago Witness, Otago Daily Times, 26 Sep 1906; In Memory of William Fenwick, 1906 (p).

Reference: Volume 1, page 140

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