Browne, Harriet Louisa (1829–1906)

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Browne, Harriet Louisa (1829–1906)

New Zealand political hostess and letter writer. Name variations: Harriet Louisa Campbell. Born Harriet Louisa Campbell, July 1, 1829, in Scotland; died April 9, 1906, at Brooklands, Weybridge, Surrey, England; dau. of James Campbell and Grace Elizabeth (Hay) Campbell; m. Thomas Robert Gore Browne (governor), 1851 (died 1887); children: 6.

Organized and hosted weekly cultural and political events, bolstering husband's popularity and success as governor of New Zealand; when war erupted over the Crown taking land from Maori (1860), supported husband's controversial stance and wrote numerous letters to people in England and New Zealand seeking support; when husband was appointed governor of Tasmania, Australia (1861), became more involved in social issues, including establishing an industrial reform school, where she also taught.

See also Dictionary of New Zealand Biography (Vol. 1).

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