Joseph Petrie (1848 – 4 May 1908) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament from Westland, New Zealand.

Early life

Petrie was born in

Aberdeenshire Aberdeenshire ( sco, Aiberdeenshire; gd, Siorrachd Obar Dheathain) is one of the 32 Subdivisions of Scotland#council areas of Scotland, council areas of Scotland. It takes its name from the County of Aberdeen which has substantially differe ...

, Scotland in 1848, and arrived in New Zealand by the ship ''Silistria'' in 1860. Petrie went to the Otago goldfields, and visited

Gabriel's Gully Gabriel's Gully is a locality in Otago, New Zealand, three kilometres from Lawrence township and close to the Tuapeka River. It was the site of New Zealand's first major gold rush. The discovery of gold at Gabriel's Gully by Gabriel Read on 25 ...

. He settled on the West Coast in 1865, first in Hokitika but soon after he came to Greymouth. A journalist by profession, he was editor and part proprietor of the '' Greymouth Evening Star''. Petrie was a member of the Jockey Club and Trotting Club. He married Miss Creer in 1874, and they had three surviving sons and two surviving daughters.

Political career

From 1875, Petrie was a member of

Greymouth Borough The Greymouth Borough was the borough council covering the urban part of Greymouth, New Zealand between and , when it became part of Grey District. History The Municipal Corporations Act, 1867 was passed by the New Zealand Parliament, and this al ...

for several decades until his death. He was mayor of Greymouth for two terms in 1887 and 1888. He was an inaugural councillor when

Brunner Borough The Brunner Borough was a borough on New Zealand's West Coast from 1887 to 1971. It was formed from an area that belonged to Grey County and, at disestablishment, merged back into Grey County. History In September 1887, some residents petition ...

was formed in November 1887, simultaneous to his Greymouth mayoralty. Petrie was a member of the Greymouth Harbour Board for over 20 years. He represented the Greymouth electorate from to 1884, when he was defeated by

Arthur Guinness Arthur Guinness ( 172523 January 1803) was an Irish brewer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. The inventor of Guinness beer, he founded the Guinness Brewery at St. James's Gate in 1759. Born in Celbridge, County Kildare around 1725, Guinness ...

. At the , Petrie challenged Guinness for the seat but Guinness retained his incumbency. Petrie stood once more for the mayoralty of Greymouth in April 1907 and was successful.

Death

On a business trip to Wellington in early April 1908, Petrie had a fall in the suburb of Newtown when leaving a tram. The tram suddenly jolted forward and Petrie was thrown heavily from the carriage. He was knocked out and sustained internal injuries. Taken to a private hospital, Petrie did not regain consciousness for two days. Although hospitalised in Wellington, Petrie contested the Greymouth mayoral election later that month represented through his son John. The other candidate for the mayoralty withdrew, not wishing to cause the injured Petrie "any anxiety". Petrie was declared elected on 24 April but did not return from Wellington; he died there on 4 May 1908. Petrie's body was shipped home on the steamer ''Mapourika'' for burial at the Greymouth cemetery. Members of the Borough Council carried his coffin from the ship and placed it in the goods shed before the hearse arrived. An estimated 2,500 people attended the funeral. Petrie's coffin was carried on a fire carriage with local councillors acting as pallbearers with two bands, the Druids and the Fire Brigade, trailing the procession. There was a strong representation from people from the hospital, education and the racing clubs as well as several members of Parliament. The Last Post sounded at the conclusion of the service.

Notes

References

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: {{DEFAULTSORT:Petrie, Joseph 1848 births 1908 deaths Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Unsuccessful candidates in the 1884 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1887 New Zealand general election New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates 19th-century New Zealand politicians Unsuccessful candidates in the 1905 New Zealand general election Mayors of Grey