Prime Minister of New Zealand. He was a newspaper proprietor and editor and a politician, who became the Prime Minister of New Zealand. The eldest of 11 children born to Samuel and Mary Ballance at Ballypitmave, near Glenavy in County Antrim, Ireland, he was educated at the local national school and at Wilson's Academy in Belfast, but he left school at the age of 14 and became an apprenticeship with an ironmonger in Belfast. In 1857 he left Belfast for Birmingham, England, where he married Fanny Taylor at St Peter and St Paul's Church on June 17, 1863. In April of 1866 the couple emigrated to New Zealand, settling in Wanganui where his wife's brother lived. He opened a jewelry shop, a business that was not successful. On June 14, 1867 he established the "Evening Herald" in partnership with local printer A.D. Willis. Later, he became sole proprietor and editor of the "Evening Herald" and from 1876 the "Wanganui Herald" and its weekly edition, the "Weekly Herald," which was later the "Yeoman". He earned a reputation in Wanganui as an "energetic, well-informed writer of independent mind". During the fighting with the Native New Zealand Māori chief Titokowaru in 1867, he was involved in the raising of a volunteer cavalry troop, in which he received a commission. Later, his commission was canceled after articles were printed in the "Wanganui Herald," criticizing the management of the campaign, but since he behaved well in the field, he was awarded the New Zealand Medal. In 1868 his wife Fanny died of illness at the age of 24. Two years later, he married Ellen Anderson, daughter of a Wellington architect. There were no children from either marriage, but in 1886 the couple adopted Ellen's four-year-old niece, Florence Anderson, whom they re-christened Kathleen. He entered Parliament in 1875 and served in Sir George Grey's liberal ministry as treasurer. Unseated in 1881, he returned three years later and was a minister for the portfolios of Lands, Defense, and Native Affairs in the Stout-Vogel ministry of 1884 to 1887. With his Land Act of 1885, he sought to limit the alienation of Crown lands and undue aggregation of land by a few private monopolists. He placed as many people as possible on the land by encouraging leasehold tenure and establishing government assisted special settlement schemes. In 18 months over 1,000 families were placed on the land. In 1887 Stout's government lost the general election, but Ballance won his Wanganui Electorate seat with more than twice the number of votes gained by his opponent. Illness initially prevented his full participation in politics at that time, but with his recovery in July of 1889, he became Leader of the Opposition. In 1890 he led a loose coalition of liberal politicians to victory in the New Zealand General Election and became New Zealand's 14th Prime Minister in January of 1891 after the resignation of the Atkinson Government. He was responsible for the establishment in 1891 of the progressive land and income taxes. He was widely praised for his handling of the economy, which expanded greatly during his term. He was called "the rainmaker" by voters, who were relieved to see the return of prosperity to New Zealand. He was actively involved in the advocacy of women's suffrage, declaring to Parliament that he believed in the "absolute equality of the sexes." He was instrumental in New Zealand being the first country in the world to allow women the right to vote yet he did not live to see this happen as women voted for the first time in the November 28, 1893 election. During 1892, he became seriously ill and although, as his health permitted, he continued to attend to ministerial business until April 23, 1893, dying from cancer four days later. He was the first Prime Minister of New Zealand to die in office. After a State Funeral, he buried in Wanganui three days later. His monument in the Heads Road Cemetery is made of Irish Granite. In 1897 a statue in his memory was erected in front of Parliament House in Wellington and also at Moutoa Gardens in Wanganui.