Sir George Edward Grey (April 14, 1812 - September 19, 1898) was a soldier, explorer, Governor of South Australia, twice Governor of New Zealand, Governor of Cape Colony (South Africa), Premier of New Zealand and a writer.
Grey was born in Lisbon, Portugal just a few days before his father, Lieutenant-Colonel Grey of the 30th Foot, was killed at the Battle of Badajoz in Spain.
He was the most influential figure during the European settlement of New Zealand during the second half of the 19th century. He was the Governor under the British Colonial Office from 1845 to 1853. Once New Zealand had gained a degree of self-governance he was again appointed Governor from 1861 to 1868 and was Premier from 1877 until 1879.
Greytown in the Wairarapa, a region of New Zealand, is named after George Grey
