John Bevan (1837 – 16 July 1911) was a 19th-century member of the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

. He was an auctioneer and merchant from

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 ...

on the West Coast of New Zealand.

Early life and commercial career

Bevan was born in

Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label= Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the l ...

on the

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in 1837 into a Welsh family. He received his education at Jersey Grammar School and emigrated to

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

in Australia in 1857 before moving to

in New Zealand in circa 1865. He entered a partnership with Michael Pollock and they traded as auctioneers and merchants under the banner of Pollock and Bevan in Hokitika's Revell Street. He remained in Hokitika for the rest of his life.

Political career

Bevan belonged to many organisations. He was a longstanding member of the Westland Board of Education and for some time was the board's chairman. He was a member of the High School Board. He was a member of the Westland Land Board and got voted onto the Hokitika Borough Council. He was president of the Westland Hospital Board of Trustees. He was a Visiting Justice to Hokitika Prison and an official visitor to the local mental hospital. Bevan contested the in the electorate against the incumbent, Gerard George Fitzgerald, and James Clarke. Fitzgerald, a brother of prominent politician James FitzGerald, had lived in Hokitika until 1880 but was a newspaper editor in

Wanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whang ...

by the time he was elected in 1881 and remained a North Island resident. Bevan had a 4 percentage point margin over Fitzgerald, with Clarke coming a distant third. He represented the Hokitika electorate until 1887, when he was defeated by

Joseph Grimmond Joseph Grimmond (1843 – 27 November 1924) was a gold miner and politician from the West Coast, New Zealand. He was mayor of Ross for many years, represented the Hokitika electorate in the House of Representatives for one term, and was late ...

830 votes to 610.

Freemasonry

Bevan was a District Grand Master of Freemasons in Westland.

Family and death

On 7 May 1900, Bevan married the widow Anne Clery ( Handley) at

All Saints' Church All Saints Church, or All Saints' Church or variations on the name may refer to: Albania *All Saints' Church, Himarë Australia * All Saints Church, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory * All Saints Anglican Church, Henley Brook, Western Aust ...

. Bevan suffered a long and serious illness in 1909 and never fully recovered from it. He died at

on 16 July 1911 aged 74. He was survived by his wife Anne and two stepchildren. His funeral at Hokitika Cemetery was an Anglican service with Masonic ceremony, largely attended by Freemasons from throughout Westland. Anne Bevan died in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

in 1928.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bevan, John 1837 births 1911 deaths Jersey people People from Hokitika New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Unsuccessful candidates in the 1887 New Zealand general election 19th-century New Zealand politicians Burials at Hokitika Cemetery New Zealand Freemasons Jersey emigrants to Australia Jersey emigrants to New Zealand