John O'Donovan (22 May 1858 – 8 April 1927) was a New Zealand police commissioner. He was born in

Ross Carbery Rosscarbery () is a village and census town in County Cork, Ireland. The village is on a shallow estuary, which opens onto Rosscarbery Bay. Rosscarbery is in the Cork South-West (Dáil Éireann) constituency, which has three seats. History The ...

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns a ...

, Ireland, in 1858. He came to New Zealand in 1878 to join his brother Richard, who had represented Okarito on the Westland County Council (1872–1873) and on the Westland Provincial Council (1874–1876). In the

1920 New Zealand Royal Visit Honours The 1920 New Zealand Royal Visit Honours were appointments by George V of New Zealanders to the Royal Victorian Order, to mark the visit of the Edward VIII, Prince of Wales to New Zealand that year. The recipients were invested by the prince at a ...

, O'Donovan was appointed a Member (fourth class) of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, or ...

, and in the 1922 King's Birthday Honours, he was made a

Companion of the Imperial Service Order The Imperial Service Order was established by King Edward VII in August 1902. It was awarded on retirement to the administration and clerical staff of the Civil Service throughout the British Empire for long and meritorious service. Normally a pe ...

References

1858 births 1927 deaths New Zealand Commissioners of Police Police officers from County Cork Irish emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand Lieutenants of the Royal Victorian Order New Zealand Companions of the Imperial Service Order Colony of New Zealand people {{NewZealand-crime-bio-stub