William Reece (23 October 1856 – 17 July 1930) was a New Zealand businessman and local-body politician. He served as mayor of Christchurch for the years 1900 and 1901.
Early life
Reece's father, Edward Reece, was the son of a Shropshire farmer. He arrived in Lyttelton in August 1855 on the Caroline Agnes. On 1 January 1856, Edward Reece married Isabella Asher at Lyttelton. William Reece was born on 23 October 1856 in Christchurch. William would have four younger brothers and one sister.
His father became a well-known iron monger with a shop in Colombo Street. From 1862, his father owned Bottle Lake and the Waitikiri swamplands for farming.
William Reece received his schooling at the Christchurch Academy where he was head boy in Latin and French. He was then sent to England to get an education in business management, leaving on the Waitangi in January 1875.
