James Colvin (1844 - 1919)

Born 4 Aug 1844 in Donegal, County Donegal, Ireland

Husband of Kate Emily (Goodyer) Colvin — married 1877 in New Zealand

Descendants

Died 29 Oct 1919 at age 75 in Wellington, New Zealand

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Biography

Birth
James Colvin was born in 1844 in Donegal Ireland.

Emigration
in 1861 James emigrated to Victoria, Australia and was gold mining in Creswick and Daylesford. In 1862 he crossed the Tasman Sea to join the Otago Gold Rush in Dunstan and Wakatipu before moving on to the Wakamarina Valley, Marlborough, goldfields where he set up a store.^[1]

As a young man, James Colvin was held up by a member of the Burgess-Sullivan gang (also known as the Maungatapu Murderers) near where George Dobson had been murdered a few days previously. Although he was carrying 2,000 pounds of gold, he managed to pass without being robbed.

In 1872 he owned th Victoria Butchery in Gladstone Street, Westport. ^[2] Marriage
James married Kate Goodyer in Wellington in 1877.

James Colvin lived in Westport, West Coast, New Zealand.

Political Career
James Colvin was on the Buller County Council from 1885 to 1889 and the Westport Harbour Board of which he was chairman in 1890. For his first term in Parliament he stood as an Independent Liberal and for five terms was an official Liberal candidate and represented the Buller electorate in Parliament for twenty years until his death in 1919. He was the Liberal Party's junior whip from 1906 to 1909. He was Chairman of Committees during 1910 - 1911 and Minister of Mines^[4] in the Mackenzie Cabinet in 1912 .

Mayor
James Colvin was Mayor of Westport from 1898 - 1900 ^[5]after which he became the Member of Parliament for Buller.

Death
James Colvin (74 or 75) was killed at 10.00 pm 29 October 1919 in Wellington, New Zealand when he was leaving Parliament House and was hit by a tram in Featherston Street.^[6] The news reached the debating Chamber within 15 minutes and proceedings were immediately adjourned.
He was buried in the Orowaiti Middle Cemetery, Westport.
^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ "Papers Past, National Library of New Zealand"
   Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 91, 16 April 1912, Page 7
   Papers Past Article (accessed 7 May 2023)
2. ↑ "Papers Past, National Library of New Zealand"
   Westport Times, Volume VI, Issue 923, 6 February 1872, Page 1
   Papers Past Article (accessed 7 May 2023)
3. ↑ "New Zealand, Civil Records Indexes, 1800-1966," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q24V-ZT1G : 4 October 2016), James Colvin and Kate Goodyer, 1877; citing Marriage, New Zealand, registration number 1877/778, Archives of New Zealand, Wellington.
4. ↑ "Papers Past, National Library of New Zealand"
   West Coast Times, 15 May 1912, Page 3
   Papers Past Article (accessed 7 May 2023)
5. ↑ "Papers Past, National Library of New Zealand"
   Hastings Standard, Volume III, Issue 788, 22 November 1898, Page 2
   Papers Past Article (accessed 7 May 2023)
6. ↑ "Papers Past, National Library of New Zealand"
   Wairarapa Age, 30 October 1919, Page 5
   Papers Past Article (accessed 7 May 2023)
7. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
   Find A Grave: Memorial #166420990 (accessed 7 May 2023)
   Memorial page for James Colvin (6 Aug 1844-29 Oct 1919), citing Orowaiti Middle Cemetery, Westport, Buller District, West Coast, New Zealand; Maintained by Cyndi (contributor 47314338).

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Colvin