(1825-11-21)November 21, 1825 Topcliffe, Yorkshire, United Kingdom
Died
August 21, 1878(1878-08-21) (aged 52) Nueva Helvecia, Uruguay
Spouse
Elizabeth Dodsworth (m. 1849, died 1867)
Occupation
Farmer, politician, fraudster
Joseph Dresser Tetley (1825–1878)[1][2] was a land owner, sheep farmer, and politician in New Zealand. He was a member of the Marlborough Provincial Council and the New Zealand Legislative Council, both from 1867 to 1869. Through his wife, he had come into contact with the gentry, prompting him to move to New Zealand. He eventually fled from New Zealand, having deceived various investors who lost a combined NZ$7 million converted to today's value. The resulting scandal was discussed in the media and the courts for the following two years, though Tetley himself was never charged, as he had disappeared to South America.
Tetley's family was from Clervaux, at Croft, in Yorkshire,[3] though he was born a little further south, in Dishforth, within the parish of Topcliffe.[4][1]
He met Elizabeth Dodsworth, the daughter of a baronet, and subsequently married her on 15 February 1849,[5] whilst he was still living in England.[6] Through his wife, he was able to establish connections with the gentry, and was invited to a party around 1856, where he met Frederick Weld. Following this meeting, and reading Weld's pamphlet on Hints to Intending Sheep Farmers in New Zealand, he departed for New Zealand.[6] His departure happened prior to November 1857, when a bankruptcy petition was opened against him in the Leeds Bankruptcy Court.[7]
Tetley represented the Picton electorate on the Marlborough Provincial Council from 5 January 1867 to 13 January 1869.[12] In July 1867, Tetley was—alongside John Hyde Harris—appointed to the Legislative Council.[13][14] He was a member of the upper house from 8 July 1867 to 19 June 1869.[15] He resigned from the Legislative Council after his departure from New Zealand, in 1869.[16][17]
Fraud, departure from New Zealand, and aftermath[edit]
During his time in New Zealand, Tetley had obtained thousands of pounds worth of investments from several creditors, including Nathaniel Levin and Richard Beumont (one of four young men from England from whom Tetley had also secured investments).[nb 1][6] In 1867, his wife and her servant (Mrs Gale) left for England via Panama. The plan had been for Tetley to follow them later, and for the three to return to New Zealand together. The two women both died of yellow fever in November 1867[nb 2] during the passage near the West Indies. It was reported that she survived the 18 November 1867 Virgin Islands earthquake and tsunami.[18][19][20] Tetley's wife was buried in England.[6]
In mid-February 1868, Tetley, Arthur Seymour, the land purchase agent J. Young, and the interpreter Abraham Warbrick travelled from Tauranga to the country's interior at Taupō to purchase or lease land from Māori.[21] Later that year, it was reported that Seymour and Tetley had secured 100,000 acres (40,000 ha) and 400,000 acres (160,000 ha), respectively, with Tetley's land on the banks of the Waikato River where it flows into Lake Taupō.[22] It turned out, however, that the arrangements had not been finalised and neither had obtained legal access to the land.[23]
Tetley left New Zealand on 8 May 1868 on the Mataura from Wellington Harbour for Southampton via Panama, with the stated intention of returning immediately.[24][22] On 16 January 1869, the Marlborough Express reported that Tetley had resigned from the Marlborough Provincial Council.[25] His resignation from the Legislative Council was accepted on 19 June 1869, over a year after his departure.[17] He never returned to New Zealand.[8][6]
While Tetley was away, Richard Beumont assessed his financial situation – and came to the realisation that Tetley had deceived him and his fellow investors. Tetley was in thousands of pounds of debt, did not leave any money behind to cover the continued costs of running his properties, and had used the investments as a means of boosting his own finances in order to obtain several large unsecured loans – thereby dashing all hopes of his investors gaining a return on their investments. Converted to 2017 value, Tetley defrauded various investors by NZ$7 million.[6]
Beaumont blamed Nathaniel Levin (who had also been deceived out of thousands of pounds by Tetley), asserting that Levin had been complicit in Tetley's fraud.[6][26] Levin, who had since been appointed to the Legislative Council himself,[15] sued Beaumont for defamation, and the case was heavily publicised.[9][26] The trial was held in Nelson, started in November 1869, and lasted for several days.[9][27] The trial ended on 4 December 1869 with a hung jury, albeit mostly in favour of a nominal verdict – eventually prompting both sides to consent to discharging the jury without a verdict.[9][27] Levin left New Zealand on 27 December 1869, and resigned from the Legislative Council in 1871, having never made a speech.[26]
^The other investors were Digby Garforth, Henry Wharton and Frederick Dull; however, the majority of the investments came from Beumont.[6]
^The source says that the first cases of yellow fever occurred on 15 November, and that the last of the seven deaths on board the SS Tamar occurred on 20 November 1867.[18]
^ abEngland, Select Births and Christenings, 1538-1975, Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014, 2014, FHL Film Number: 0816618 (RG4 2997), retrieved 25 June 2024 – via Ancestry.com, Name: Joseph Dusser[sic] Tetley; Gender: Male; Birth Date: 21 Nov 1825; Birth Place: Dishforth and Langforth Chapels-Particular Baptist,Dishforth and Boroughbridge,York,England[sic]; Father: William Tetley; Mother: Mary Ann; FHL Film Number: 0816618 (RG4 2997)
^ ab"Deaths". The Times. 28 September 1878. p. 1. Retrieved 25 June 2024 – via The Times Digital Archive. On the 21st Aug, at Nueva Helvecia, near Monte Video, B. O., JOSEPH DRESSER TETLEY, eldest son of the late William Tetley Esq., of Asenby Lodge, Thirsk, Yorkshire, in his 51st year.
^Matthews, Nevil (October 1984). "The Chaytors of Coverham". Journal of the Nelson and Marlborough Historical Societies. 1 (4): 41–43. Retrieved 25 June 2024 – via nzetc.victoria.ac.nz.}
^"LEEDS COURT OF BANKRUPTCY". The Leeds Mercury. Vol. 94, no. 6712. 5 November 1857. p. 2. Retrieved 25 June 2024 – via Newspapers.com. Petitions were opened against JOSEPH DRESSER TETLEY, of Kilgrime Grange, East Witton, farmer, who has left the country; and against Messrs. Swire and Blair, of Bardon, builders and contractors, who are now engaged in the construction of the heavy works required by the Bradford Waterworks Company, in that town. Arrangements, it is understood, notwithstanding the bankruptcy, will be made to prevent any stoppage of this important undertaking.
^"DEATHS". The Pall Mall Gazette. Vol. 28, no. 4245. London, England. 28 September 1878. p. 5. Retrieved 25 June 2024 – via Newspapers.com. TETLEY, Joseph D., son of the late Mr. William, of Asenby Lodge, Thirsk, Yorkshire, at Nueva Helvecia, Monte Video, B, O., aged 50, Aug. 21.