Robert Stokes (politician)
Robert Stokes (1809 – 20 January 1880) practised briefly as an architect in England in the 1830s before going to New Zealand where he had a varied career as land surveyor, newspaper proprietor and latterly as a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council. The Lower Hutt suburb of Stokes Valley, New Zealand, is named after him.
Origins
Stokes was born in Jamaica on 16 January 1809, the son of Robert Stokes (then chief clerk in the Post Office in Jamaica) and of Martha Frances Stokes.
Architectural career