John Joyce (1839 – 1 December 1899) was a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for Lyttelton and Akaroa in the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

of New Zealand.

Early life

Joyce was born in

Penzance Penzance ( ; kw, Pennsans) is a town, civil parish and port in the Penwith district of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is the most westerly major town in Cornwall and is about west-southwest of Plymouth and west-southwest of London. Situated ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

in 1839. As a boy, he worked in the deep sea fishing industry. He was made the master of a schooner at age 19. In 1854, he 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 ...

and worked for the Water Police in Williamstown,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1861, to work for the Water Police in

Port Chalmers Port Chalmers is a town serving as the main port of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. Port Chalmers lies ten kilometres inside Otago Harbour, some 15 kilometres northeast of Dunedin's city centre. History Early Māori settlement The origi ...

. He was appointed clerk in the magistrates' court, before joining the legal firm of Howorth and Hodgkins 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 ...

. Joyce was admitted a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court in 1873. He found a partner in Mr. J. A. D. Adams, and they set up the firm of Joyce and Adams.* He moved to

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

and started his own legal practice in 1879, with offices in Lyttelton and

Sydenham Sydenham may refer to: Places Australia * Sydenham, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney ** Sydenham railway station, Sydney * Sydenham, Victoria, a suburb of Melbourne ** Sydenham railway line, the name of the Sunbury railway line, Melbourne ...

. He was elected onto the Sydenham Borough Council and was the third mayor for the borough. Joyce moved to Lyttelton and was elected onto the Lyttelton Borough Council in 1885.

Member of Parliament

John Joyce represented Lyttelton (1887–1890; 1893–1899) and Akaroa (1890–93) in the

New Zealand House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the sole chamber of the New Zealand Parliament. The House passes Law of New Zealand, laws, provides Ministers of the New Zealand Government, ministers to form Cabinet of New Zealand, Cabinet, and supervises the ...

. He was a "staunch supporter of the Liberal Party".

Death and commemoration

Joyce died suddenly on 1 December 1899. He was in the midst of the 1899 general election campaign when he started to have heart problems. He saw a doctor in the morning, was prescribed rest, and died in the early evening during his sleep. His funeral was described as one of the largest ever in the colony, and was attended by several thousand people. Due to his previous involvement with the Canterbury volunteer forces, he was given a full military funeral. The railways estimated that they transported 400 soldiers and about 2500 others to Lyttelton to the funeral. Joyce was married in 1864 to a daughter of Mr. G. Coates (a jeweller from

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

), and he was survived by his wife, four sons and six daughters. Joyce Street in Lyttelton is named after him.

References

, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Joyce, John 1839 births 1899 deaths New Zealand Liberal Party MPs 19th-century New Zealand lawyers New Zealand people of English descent New Zealand MPs for Christchurch electorates Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Mayors of places in Canterbury, New Zealand 19th-century New Zealand politicians People from Penzance Lyttelton Harbour Board members