John White (1830 – 4 September 1876) 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 ...

from 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 ...

, New Zealand. White was born in England in 1830, the son of Richard White of London. He came to

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 . ...

as a

purser A purser is the person on a ship principally responsible for the handling of money on board. On modern merchant ships, the purser is the officer responsible for all administration (including the ship's cargo and passenger manifests) and supply. ...

for the Intercolonial Steamship Company running the Panama route and remained there as the company's shipping agent. He gained a public profile through his intelligent letters to the editor, which he signed with his own name; at the time, it was common for writers to use pen names. After Hokitika was incorporated as a borough council in August 1868, White stood for election in October of that year and was returned as one of the new councillors. He resigned a year later to become a member of the Westland County Council (a predecessor of

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 1 ...

), where he served as a member from 10 November 1869 to 8 December 1870. White and

Edmund Barff Edmund Barff (5 March 1833 – 29 June 1882) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament from the West Coast, New Zealand. Barff was born in the English county of Kent on 5 March 1833, probably at Lee (now part of Greater London), where he was ba ...

contested the general election held on 25 January in the electorate, with White being successful. He represented the electorate until the end of the term in 1875 when he retired. He was known in the House as "Honest John". When the Westland Province was inaugurated, White stood for election in January 1874 for one of the three seats in the Hokitika electorate and was returned at the head of the poll. He remained a member of the provincial council until his death. He was the first Speaker of the Provincial Council (24 February 1874 – 8 June 1874) until he resigned to become a member of the short-lived first Westland Executive Council in June 1874. The Provincial Council was adjourned after three sessions in April 1875 and never met again before it was abolished shortly after White's death. Hence, White had practically retired from public life when he retired from the House of Representatives. He died at his residence in Revell Street in Hokitika on 4 September 1876 from

asthma Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...

after a short illness of about four weeks. The funeral service was held at St Mary's Catholic Church and he was buried at

Hokitika Cemetery Hokitika Cemetery, also known as Seaview Cemetery, is the cemetery for Hokitika in New Zealand. The cemetery is located on Hospital Hill Road in the suburb of Seaview on an elevated site north-east of the town, giving a good outlook over the set ...

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:White, John 1830 births 1876 deaths Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Members of Westland provincial executive councils Members of the Westland Provincial Council Speakers of New Zealand provincial councils Burials at Hokitika Cemetery New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates English emigrants to New Zealand Deaths from asthma 19th-century New Zealand politicians