Sir Julius Vogel of New Zealand

In 1979, New Zealand issued a stamp portraying Sir Julius Vogel as part of a three-stamp set honoring its statesmen (Scott #678).

Vogel served as Premier from 1873 to 1876 and was responsible for forming several governments before and after these dates. He usually retained his position as Postmaster-General when he controlled the government.

Vogel was born in 1835 in the Dutch Jewish section of London's East End. He claimed he was a frail child and educated at home, but some speculate his parents were too poor to formally educate him. He was attracted to Australia by the gold rush and landed at Melbourne in 1852 at the age of 17. By 1861 he had arrived in New Zealand and founded the Otago Daily Times, New Zealand's first daily newspaper.

In 1863 he covered an election meeting for his newspaper. When no candidate came forward, he arranged his own nomination and was elected to Parliament unopposed. He was the first Jew to be elected to the New Zealand legislature. He gained early prominence with some of his outspoken ideas. He remained a figure of controversy for his entire political career.

In 1869 he was named Colonial Treasurer and Postmaster-General (as well as Commissioner of Customs). He attempted to construct a network of roads and rail lines in order to encourage growth in New Zealand. This involved a massive influx of borrowed capital. Although he initially had been a strong opponent of centralization and an advocate of provincial rights, his policies effectively destroyed the provincial system. As Postmaster-General in 1871 he fostered postal service between New Zealand and England via San Francisco. He was also responsible for introducing the Government Life Insurance Act, which enabled insurance premium money to remain in New Zealand. (Government Life Insurance Department stamps are designated by the prefix "OY" in the Scott catalog.)

Vogel became Premier in 1873, although he had organized the government earlier. In 1875, while in England negotiating further loans for his public works and immigration programs, he resigned his premiership and portfolios because of ill health. In his absence he was reappointed Postmaster-General. But in 1876 he returned to New Zealand, was re-elected and became Premier again. He resigned a short time later to assume the position of Agent-General for New Zealand in England. He was criticized for taking this position and for the large debt that now burdened New Zealand.

He returned to New Zealand in 1882 and was re-elected to Parliament in 1884 and formed a new government (serving as Colonial Treasurer and Postmaster-General again, but not as Premier). He returned to England in 1888 where he "retired" to be an author. His first novel, Anno Domini 2,000 or Woman's Destiny, included a number of predictions including the "wild idea" of an air cruiser able to travel 100 miles per hour.

Vogel died on March 12, 1899, after being in poor health and in poor financial state, and was buried in the Jewish Cemetery at Willesden. He had always remained a Jew, although he married outside of the faith and therefore was denied membership in New Zealand synagogues, which were quite strict in their attempts to curtail intermarriage.

Link: Prime Ministers of New Zealand: Julius Vogel

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