Introduction
Bendix Hallenstein (c. 24 January 1835 – 6 January 1905) was a merchant, statesman, and manufacturer from Dunedin, New Zealand.
Biography
| New Zealand Parliament | ||||
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | |
| 1872–1873 | 5th | Wakatipu | Independent | |
Hallenstein was born in Bisperode in the Duchy of Brunswick, Germany. The retail chain of clothing stores in New Zealand, Hallensteins, still bears his name. He also founded the D.I.C. (department store) in Dunedin in 1884.
Hallenstein married Mary Mountain (1826-1907) in England in 1861. They had four daughters; Sara (married Willi Fels), Emily (married Isidore de Beer), Henrietta (married James Francis (Frank) Hyams; died 1895 soon after childbirth), and Agnes (married Siegfried Barden).
Hallenstein was the mayor of the Queenstown borough from 1869 to 1872.He represented the electorate of Wakatipu in Parliament from 1872 to 1873, when he resigned.
Hallenstein's son-in-law (and nephew) Willi Fels was a prominent philanthropist and arts collector in early Dunedin. Hallenstein's great-grandson Charles Brasch was a noted poet, literary editor and arts patron.