John Christopher Rolleston (4 December 1877 – 22 May 1956) was a Reform Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand.

Early life

Mary and William Rolleston and their children, at Kapunatiki

Rolleston was born in

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 / ...

on 4 December 1877,See talk page the son of

Mary Rolleston Elizabeth Mary Rolleston (30 March 1845 – 4 June 1940), known as Mary Rolleston, was a New Zealand homemaker, political hostess and community leader. She was born as Elizabeth Mary Brittan in Castleton, Dorset, England in 1845. Her parents wer ...

. His father, the last

Superintendent Superintendent may refer to: *Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exec ...

of the

Canterbury Province The Canterbury Province was a province of New Zealand from 1853 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. Its capital was Christchurch. History Canterbury was founded in December 1850 by the Canterbury Association of influential En ...

William Rolleston William Rolleston (19 September 1831 – 8 February 1903) was a New Zealand politician, public administrator, educationalist and Canterbury provincial superintendent. Early life Rolleston was born on 19 September 1831 at Maltby, Yorkshire as th ...

was in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

for the third session of the 6th Parliament and intended to be home in the second week of December, but it is likely that he will have missed the birth, as his seventh child (of nine in total) was born a week early. At the time of his birth, the family was living at

Linwood House Linwood House was built as the homestead for Joseph Brittan, who, as surgeon, newspaper editor and provincial councillor, was one of the dominant figures in early Christchurch, New Zealand. The suburb of Linwood was named after Brittan's farm ...

. His grandfather was

Joseph Brittan Joseph Brittan (12 January 1806 – 27 October 1867), a surgeon, newspaper editor, and provincial councillor, was one of the dominant figures in early Christchurch, New Zealand. Born into a middle-class family in southern England, he followed ...

(1805–1867). From 1880 to 1884, the Rolleston family lived in Wellington. William Rolleston held various ministerial posts in ministries led by

John Hall John Hall may refer to: Academics * John Hall (NYU President) (fl. c. 1890), American academic * John A. Hall (born 1949), sociology professor at McGill University, Montreal * John F. Hall (born 1951), professor of classics at Brigham Young Unive ...

(1879–1882),

Frederick Whitaker Sir Frederick Whitaker (23 April 1812 – 4 December 1891) was an English-born New Zealand politician who served twice as the premier of New Zealand and six times as Attorney-General. Early life Whitaker was born at the Deanery Manor House, ...

(1882–1883) and

Harry Atkinson Sir Harry Albert Atkinson (1 November 1831 – 28 June 1892) served as the tenth premier of New Zealand on four separate occasions in the late 19th century, and was Colonial Treasurer for a total of ten years. He was responsible for guiding t ...

(1883–1884) and their house in Molesworth Street, on the site that is these days occupied by

Saint Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

, gave easy access to the Parliament Buildings. With the defeat of the Atkinson Ministry, William Rolleston lost his ministerial income and due to the effects of the depression of the 1880s, the family moved to William Rolleston's farm Kapunatiki at the south bank of the

Rangitata River The Rangitata River is one of the braided rivers that helped form the Canterbury Plains in southern New Zealand. It flows southeast for from the Southern Alps (New Zealand), Southern Alps, entering the Pacific Ocean northeast of Timaru. The riv ...

near its mouth in 1884. John Rolleston started farming in

Rangitoto Rangitoto Island is a volcanic island in the Hauraki Gulf near Auckland, New Zealand. The wide island is a symmetrical shield volcano cone, reaching a height of . Rangitoto is the youngest and largest of the approximately 50 volcanoes of the Au ...

in the

Waitomo District Waitomo District is a territorial authority, located in the Waikato region, at the north of the King Country area in the North Island of New Zealand. A small part of the district, the locality of Tiroa, however, lies in the Manawatū-Whanganui ...

around 1908. He served in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He left Lyttelton on 16 October 1914 on board the ''Tiroa'' for Egypt as a trooper. He was badly wounded on his left arm in the Gallipoli Campaign. After the war, he returned to his farm in Rangitoto. On 5 July 1922, he married Agnes Beatrice (Nancy) Johnston of Oruawharo at St. Vincent de Paul's Church in

Takapau Takapau is a small rural community in the Central Hawkes Bay in New Zealand. It is located 20 kilometres west of Waipukurau, off State Highway 2, and has a population of more than 500. The original township was founded in 1876 by farmer Sydney ...

. They were to have one son (Christopher; d. 1954).

Political career

Rolleston was chosen by the Reform Party to be the candidate in the Waitomo electorate in the 1922 general election. He defeated the incumbent, William Jennings of the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

, by 3447 to 3441 votes, a majority of only six votes. He was defeated in

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

by Walter Broadfoot of the United Party. In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.

Death

Rolleston died on 22 May 1956.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rolleston, John Reform Party (New Zealand) MPs 1877 births 1956 deaths New Zealand military personnel of World War I Unsuccessful candidates in the 1928 New Zealand general election Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates People from Christchurch

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

Brittan family