James Colvin (New Zealand)

James Colvin (1844 - 29 October 1919) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for Buller, in the South Island.

Member of Parliament

James Colvin represented the Buller electorate in the New Zealand House of Representatives for twenty years from 1899 to his death in 1919. He was Minister of Mines in 1912. [citation |first = G. Antony (ed.) |last = Wood |title = Ministers and Members in the New Zealand Parliament |place = Dunedin, [N.Z.] |publisher = Otago University Press |year = 1996 |isbn = 1-877-13300-0 p. 88.]

At the 1899 election Colvin stood as an Independent Liberal and was successful. [citation |first = James Oakley |last = Wilson |title = The New Zealand Parliamentary Record: 1840-1984|edition = 4th |place = Wellington, [N.Z.] |publisher = Government Printer |year = 1985 p.190.]

Colvin was born in Donegal, Ireland and came to New Zealand in 1862. [citation |first = David |last = Hamer |title = The New Zealand Liberals: the years of power, 1891-1912 |place = Auckland, [N.Z.] |publisher = Auckland University Press |year = 1988 |isbn = 1-869-40014-3 p. 363] He served on numerous boards and committees: the Buller County Council (1885-89), Westport Harbour Board (Chairman 1890), and was Mayor of Westport between 1898 and 1900. [ citation |first = Guy H. (ed.) |last = Scholefield |title = A dictionary of New Zealand biography (2 vol.) |place = Wellington, [N.Z.] |publisher = Dept. of Internal Affairs |year = 1940 I:171.]

James Colvin was killed by a tram as he left Parliament House in 1919 (Yesterdays in Golden Buller by Ella Matthews, 1999, Cadsonbury Publications, p.203).

When he was a young man, 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. Unknown to his interrogator James Colvin was carrying 2,000 pounds worth of gold on his saddle, and managed to pass unmolested (Matthews, p.203).

References

Further reading

:*citation |first = David |last = Hamer |title = The New Zealand Liberals: the years of power, 1891-1912 |place = Auckland, [N.Z.] |publisher = Auckland University Press |year = 1988 |isbn = 1-869-40014-3:*citation |first = Eric A. |last = Leslie |title = The Colvin story (1861-1979) and the Colvin family trees (1877-1979) |place = Westport, [N.Z.] |publisher = E. A. Leslie |year = 1980:*citation |first = Guy H. (ed.) |last = Scholefield |title = A dictionary of New Zealand biography (2 vol.) |place = Wellington, [N.Z.] |publisher = Dept. of Internal Affairs |year = 1940:*citation |first = James Oakley |last = Wilson |title = The New Zealand Parliamentary Record: 1840-1984|edition = 4th |place = Wellington, [N.Z.] |publisher = Government Printer |year = 1985:*citation |first = G. Antony (ed.) |last = Wood |title = Ministers and Members in the New Zealand Parliament |place = Dunedin, [N.Z.] |publisher = Otago University Press |year = 1996 |isbn = 1-877-13300-0