James Marshall (1843 – 9 October 1912) was a member of the

New Zealand Legislative Council The New Zealand Legislative Council was the upper house of the General Assembly of New Zealand between 1853 and 1951. An earlier arrangement of legislative councils for the colony and provinces existed from 1841 when New Zealand became a co ...

. Marshall was born in 1843 in Scotland. In New Zealand, he first lived in

Southland Southland may refer to: Places Canada * Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia New Zealand * Southland Region, a region of New Zealand * Southland County, a former New Zealand county * Southland District, part of the wider Southland Reg ...

. The

West Coast Gold Rush The West Coast Gold Rush, on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, lasted from 1864 to 1867. Description The gold rush populated the area, which up until then had been visited by few Europeans. Gold was found near the Taramakau River in ...

brought him to the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

, and he lived in the mining communities of Granville, Orwell Creek, and Nobbs. About 1880, he settled at nearby

Totara Flat ''Podocarpus totara'' (; from the Maori-language ; the spelling "totara" is also common in English) is a species of podocarp tree endemic to New Zealand. It grows throughout the North Island and northeastern South Island in lowland, montane and ...

, a settlement on the Grey River, where he was a farmer. He had previously been a packer, butcher, and publican. He was a member of the

Grey County Grey County is a county of the Canadian province of Ontario. The county seat is in Owen Sound. It is located in the subregion of Southern Ontario named Southwestern Ontario. Grey County is also a part of the Georgian Triangle. At the time of the ...

Council from its inception in 1877 until his death. On 28 November 1888, he was first elected

chairman The chairperson, also chairman, chairwoman or chair, is the presiding officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office, who is typically elected or appointed by members of the grou ...

of the Grey Council. He chaired the county council for the years 1889, 1900, and 1909. He was a member of the Grey Education Board for 26 years until his death, and for many years served as its chairman. He was a member of the Legislative Council from 18 April 1902 to 17 April 1909; then 17 April 1909 to 9 October 1912, when he died. He was appointed by the

Liberal Government Liberal government may refer to: Australia In Australian politics, a Liberal government may refer to the following governments administered by the Liberal Party of Australia: * Menzies Government (1949–66), several Australian ministries under S ...

under

Richard Seddon Richard John Seddon (22 June 1845 – 10 June 1906) was a New Zealand politician who served as the List of prime ministers of New Zealand, 15th Prime Minister of New Zealand, premier (prime minister) of New Zealand from 1893 until his death. ...

, who as a fellow West Coaster knew him well. He succeeded James Kerr, who had died on 25 August 1901. James Holmes of

Hokitika Hokitika is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island, south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. It is the seat and largest town in the Westland District. The town's estimated population is as of . ...

, another West Coaster, received his call to the Legislative Council on the same day as Marshall. Marshall died at home in Totara Flat, and was survived by his wife Annie, one son, and one daughter. He was buried at

Ahaura Ahaura is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island, sited where the Ahaura River flows into the Grey River. State Highway 7 and the Stillwater–Ngākawau railway line pass through the town. Greymouth is to the south-w ...

Cemetery in one of the largest funerals that the West Coast has ever seen, and that despite a special train that was to be scheduled from

Greymouth Greymouth () (Māori: ''Māwhera'') is the largest town in the West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The population of the whole Grey District is , which accounts for % of the West Coas ...

not running. The

funeral procession A funeral procession is a procession, usually in motor vehicles or by foot, from a funeral home or place of worship to the cemetery or crematorium. In earlier times the deceased was typically carried by male family members on a bier or in a cof ...

was one or two miles long.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marshall, James 1843 births 1912 deaths Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council New Zealand Liberal Party MLCs Mayors of Grey