Charles John Harley (10 October 1861 – 16 December 1922) was a New Zealand local-body politician. He served as

Mayor of Nelson The mayor of Nelson is the head of the municipal government of Nelson, New Zealand, and presides over the Nelson City Council. The mayor is directly elected using a single transferable vote electoral system. The current mayor is Nick Smith, wh ...

from 1915 to 1917.

Early life and family

Born at

Stoke Stoke is a common place name in the United Kingdom. Stoke may refer to: Places United Kingdom The largest city called Stoke is Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. See below. Berkshire * Stoke Row, Berkshire Bristol * Stoke Bishop * Stok ...

on 10 October 1861, the son of Alfred Harley and his wife Emily Annie Harley (née Cundy), Harley was educated at

Nelson College Nelson College is the oldest state secondary school in New Zealand. It is an all-boys school in the City of Nelson that teaches from years 9 to 13. In addition, it runs a private preparatory school for year 7 and 8 boys. The school also has ...

from 1875 to 1878.''Nelson College Old Boys' Register, 1856–2006'', 6th edition (CD-ROM). A barrister and solicitor by profession, he was admitted to the Bar in 1883. Harley married Janet Ramage Kerr the following year. Their son Howard was a marine engineer on the '' Laurentic'' when it was sunk in 1917 of the coast of Ireland. Howard survived and joined the Royal Navy Reserve, serving on a cruiser in World War I.

Businesses

Harley was a partner in Adams and Harley and one of the owners of the Tonga Bay Granite Company.

Local government and civic affairs

Harley, a city councillor since the 1890s, defeated

William Lock William Lock (1 May 1858 – 20 July 1940) was Mayor of Nelson, New Zealand, from 1913 to 1915 and again from 1921 to 1927. Lock was an auctioneer, and a grain and produce merchant for 40 years. During his term as mayor, HMS ''New Zealand'' ...

by 1223 votes to 1065 to become Mayor of Nelson in 1915. Despite being pressed by the councilors in 1917 to stand for another term Harley declined. William Snodgrass won the ensuing mayoral election and became the next mayor of Nelson. Harley was a trustee of the Cawthorn Estate, and a member of the Ancient Order of Foresters.

Death

Harley died at Nelson on 16 December 1922, and was buried at

Wakapuaka Cemetery Wakapuaka Cemetery is a cemetery located in Brooklands, Nelson, New Zealand. "Wakapuaka" is Māori for "heaps of aka leaves". Location Wakapuaka Cemetery is located at the southern end of Atawhai Drive in Nelson. The cemetery is located on a hi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harley, Charles 1861 births 1922 deaths Mayors of Nelson, New Zealand People educated at Nelson College Burials at Wakapuaka Cemetery Colony of New Zealand people