William John Dyer (1830 – 12 July 1909) was a New Zealand businessman and politician. Born in London, his family moved to Sydney when he was a child. He ran a trading business between Sydney, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands, and moved to New Zealand in 1857. He lived at different times in Dunedin and Milton and entered politics, contesting a number of elections and representing the Tokomairaro electorate in the provincial council.

Personal life

Dyer was born in London in 1830, but moved to

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

in 1839. In Sydney, he had two sons, including Frederick James Dyer. He moved to New Zealand in 1857. His wife, Emma, died in Dunedin on 18 September 1858 at age 27. On 21 April 1860, Dyer married Annie Maria Redmayne at the Episcopal Church in Dunedin. Their first-born son, Ernest Victor, died on 16 February 1861, aged 24 days. They had a daughter on 6 January 1864, a son on 30 September 1865, and a further son in 1866.

Business career

From Sydney, Dyer traded with New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. When he resided in New Zealand, he was in business in

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

, firstly in Dunedin and later in

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(then known as Tokomairaro). During the Otago Gold Rush, he had a ferry at the

Taieri River The Taieri River is the fourth-longest river in New Zealand and is in Otago in the South Island. Rising in the Lammerlaw Range, it initially flows north, then east around the Rock and Pillar range before turning southeast, reaching the sea sout ...

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. He lost a number of buildings in a fire in January 1871.

Political career

Dyer was a candidate in the

1859 Town of Dunedin by-election The 1859 Town of Dunedin by-election was a New Zealand by-election held in the single-member electorate of during the 2nd New Zealand Parliament on 14 January 1859, after the resignation of James Macandrew. The election was won by Macandrew, wh ...

against James Macandrew and

James Gordon Stuart Grant James Gordon Stuart Grant ( 1834 – 27 February 1902) was a New Zealand demagogue, journalist and eccentric. He was born in Glenlivet, Banffshire, Scotland in circa 1834. He unsuccessfully stood in the 1859 Town of Dunedin by-election The ...

. However, he did not participate in the poll that occurred after Grant challenged Macandrew. He contested the

1860 election The following elections occurred in the year 1860. Most notably, the 1860 United States presidential election was one of the events that precipitated the American Civil War. North America United States * California's at-large congressional distr ...

in the electorate, losing to Thomas Dick and Edward McGlashan. He was one of four candidates in the in the electorate and came second, beaten by William Murray. Dyer also was a candidate in the April 1865 Bruce by-election, getting defeated by Arthur John Burns. He was also discussed as a candidate in the

July 1865 Bruce by-election The July 1865 Bruce by-election was a New Zealand by-election held in the electorate of during the 3rd New Zealand Parliament on 27 July 1865 triggered by the resignation of Edward Cargill. Three candidates were nominated but one of them wit ...

, but eventually decided not to stand. Dyer was several times Mayor of Milton and a member of the Otago Provincial Council. He stood in the Waihola electorate for the Otago Provincial Council in May 1863 and was defeated by Alexander Mollison by a single vote. When John Lillie Gillies resigned from the Tokomairaro electorate (i.e. the area around Milton) of the Otago Provincial Council, Dyer contested the election against Thomas Murray and was successful. He represented the Tokomairaro electorate from 3 September 1864 to 28 July 1866, when he resigned.

Later life

Dyer moved to Dunedin in his later life and lived in Cumberland Street (now part of State Highway 1). On 12 July 1909, he died suddenly during a stay at his son in law's Queen's Hotel in Oamaru. He was buried at Oamaru Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dyer, William John 1830 births 1909 deaths 19th-century New Zealand businesspeople People from Milton, New Zealand Members of the Otago Provincial Council Unsuccessful candidates in the 1860–1861 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1871 New Zealand general election Burials at Oamaru Old Cemetery British emigrants Immigrants to New Zealand Mayors of places in Otago