James Alexander Bonar (12 June 1840 – 7 November 1901) was a New Zealand merchant, shipping agent, company director and politician. He was born in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

, Midlothian, Scotland on 12 June 1840. He was a member of the

Westland County Westland County, also known as County of Westland, was a local government area on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It existed from 1868 to 1873, and then from 1876 until 1989. In its first incarnation, it constituted the government f ...

Council during the whole time of its existence, and was the county council's second chairman. He was the first

Mayor of Hokitika The Mayor of Hokitika officiated over the borough of Hokitika in New Zealand. The office was created in 1866 when Hokitika became a municipality and a borough two years later, and ceased with the 1989 local government reforms, when Hokitika Borou ...

, represented Hokitika on the

Canterbury Provincial Council The Canterbury Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. Its capital was Christchurch. History Canterbury was founded in December 1850 by the Canterbury Association of influential Eng ...

, a member of the Legislative Council (27 June 1868 – 7 November 1901), and the only

Superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

Westland Province The Westland Province was a province of New Zealand from 1873 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. The capital was Hokitika. Area and history The area was part of Canterbury Province when the provinces were created in 1853. By ...

. He married on 19 October 1875 Elliott Margaret Bell; they had four sons and one daughter. * He is buried at Hokitika Cemetery.

References

1840 births 1901 deaths Scottish emigrants to New Zealand Mayors of Hokitika Members of the Canterbury Provincial Council Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council Superintendents of New Zealand provincial councils Members of the Westland County Council Members of Canterbury provincial executive councils 19th-century New Zealand politicians Burials at Hokitika Cemetery {{NewZealand-politician-stub