McCULLOUGH, WILLIAM (1843-1925) was born at Wylam, near Newcastle-on-Tyne, and at the age of two was taken to Ireland and brought up at Limerick, where he was educated in the normal school. He came to Auckland with his parents in 1859, worked on their farm at Mangapai for a few years, and in 1864 went to the goldfields on the West Coast.

When the Thames fields opened (1867) he was attracted there but, meeting with little success at mining, he joined the staff of the Thames Evening Star in 1869 (being the first mining reporter on the field). Eventually he owned the paper. He afterwards acquired the Thames Advertiser, amalgamated it with the Star in 1912, and eight years later disposed of the property to a local company.

McCullough took a keen interest in his district and filled every important position in the gift of the people. He was mayor of Thames in 1879, chairman of the hospital board, the harbour board and the High School governors. Returning to Auckland, he bought a printing business. He was the first president (to 1892) of the New Zealand Journalists' Institute. A Liberal in politics, he was called to the Legislative Council in 1892, retiring by effluxion of time in 1899. McCullough was a member of the Anglican synod. In the freemasons (Scottish constitution) he was provincial grand master in succession to Whitaker (1892), and he was district grand master for the North Island for more than a quarter of a century. He married a daughter of W. Errington.

Who's Who N.Z., 1908, 1924; N.Z. Times and Auckland Star, 17 Oct 1892. Portrait: Parliament House; Weston.

Reference: Volume 2, page 6

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