James Kelham (1796 – 1 April 1882) was a New Zealand businessman and politician.

Biography

He arrived in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

in the ship ''London'' in 1842, and was the New Zealand Company's accountant in Wellington. He was prominent in Wellington's early business community, and was elected as first chairman of the Wellington

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to ad ...

in 1856. He represented the

City of Wellington Wellington City Council is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the country's capital city Wellington, and ''de facto'' second-largest city (if the commonly considered parts of Wellington, ...

in the

1st New Zealand Parliament The 1st New Zealand Parliament was a term of the Parliament of New Zealand. It opened on 24 May 1854, following New Zealand's first general election (held the previous year). It was dissolved on 15 September 1855 in preparation for that year's ...

, but resigned on 3 August 1855. He also served on the

Wellington Provincial Council Wellington Province, governed by the Wellington Provincial Council, was one of the provinces of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. It covered much of the southern half of the North Island until November 18 ...

, representing the City of Wellington electorate in 1856. He was made a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

in 1870. He owned land in

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt ( mi, Te Awa Kairangi ki Tai) is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington metropolitan area. It is New Zealand's sixth most p ...

where he had a cottage built in the 1870s or 1880s; the building is these days the gatehouse of

Vogel House Vogel House in 75 Woburn Road, Lower Hutt, New Zealand is a large family home built in 1933 for James and Jocelyn Vogel. It was designed by Heathcote Helmore of the Christchurch architectural firm of Helmore and Cotterill, and built by Walter Dye ...

. He is buried in St James (Anglican) Churchyard, Lower Hutt. Ward's ''Early Wellington'' erroneously says he died in 1862.

References

*Evening Post, 3 April 1882 (Death notice) *Timaru Herald, 5 April 1882 (Notes, page 2) *

External links

New Zealand Electronic Text Centre
1796 births 1882 deaths Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Members of the Wellington Provincial Council New Zealand accountants New Zealand MPs for Wellington electorates 19th-century New Zealand businesspeople 19th-century New Zealand politicians {{NewZealand-politician-stub