# Henry Sewell

_19th-century New Zealand politician (1807-1879)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/henry-sewell
Last updated: 2026-11-02

> Henry Sewell was a New Zealand politician. He was a notable campaigner for New Zealand self-government, and is generally regarded as having been the country's first premier, having led the Sewell Ministry in 1856. He later served as Colonial Treasurer (1856–1859), as Attorney-General (1861–1862), and twice as Minister of Justice.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 7 September 1807 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q741462#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Newport ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q741462#P19))
- **Died:** 14 May 1879 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q741462#P570))
- **Place of death:** Cambridge ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q741462#P20))
- **Citizenship:** New Zealand; United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q741462#P27))
- **Occupation:** politician; lawyer ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q741462#P106))
- **Positions held:** Minister of Justice (13 June 1870 – 30 October 1871); Attorney-General of New Zealand (24 November 1864 – 16 October 1865); Attorney-General of New Zealand (23 August 1862 – 1 January 1863); Attorney-General of New Zealand (2 August 1861 – 6 August 1862); Minister of Finance (25 February 1859 – 26 April 1859); Minister of Finance (2 June 1856 – 4 November 1856); Prime Minister of New Zealand (7 May 1856 – 20 May 1856); Member of the New Zealand Parliament (since 1853) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q741462#P39))

## Questions

**When was Henry Sewell born?**  
Henry Sewell was born on 7 September 1807 in Newport.

**What positions has Henry Sewell held?**  
Positions held by Henry Sewell include: Minister of Justice (1870–1871); Attorney-General of New Zealand (1864–1865); Attorney-General of New Zealand (1862–1863); Attorney-General of New Zealand (1861–1862); Minister of Finance (1859–1859).

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- [William Fox](https://diginpl.com/people/william-fox)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Henry Sewell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Sewell) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q741462](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q741462) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Henry Sewell, 1860 (cropped).jpg by Photographer unidentified (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Henry_Sewell,_1860_(cropped).jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Henry Sewell, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Henry Sewell, 1860 (cropped).jpg — Photographer unidentified, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Henry Sewell". DigiNepal. Last updated 2 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/henry-sewell. Retrieved 6 November 2026.