Arthur John Burns
Encyclopedia
Arthur John Burns was a prominent early settler of Otago, New Zealand
, a member of the Otago Provincial Council, a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives
and founder of the Mosgiel
Woollen Company, Dunedin
.
Burns was born in Monkton
, South Ayrshire
, Scotland
. He was the only son and eldest child of Thomas Burns
and Clementina Grant and the great-nephew of the poet Robert Burns
. He came to Otago with his father in the Philip Laing arriving in Port Chalmers
on 15 April 1848.
He played a prominent part in provincial affairs and was a member of the Provincial Council from 1855 to 1859 and again from 1863 to 1870. He was also a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives on three occasions; Bruce
1865–66, Caversham
1866–70 when he resigned, and Roslyn
1875–78 when he resigned. He vigorously opposed the abolition of the provinces
in 1876.
On 6 April 1861 he married Sarah Scott Dickson, with whom he had 11 children.
He founded the Mosgiel Woollen Company in 1871 in an area on the western outskirts of Dunedin. Burns named the town Mosgiel after his great-uncle Robert Burns's Mossgiel farm in Ayrshire
, Scotland
. He imported skilled labour and specialised equipment from Great Britain
to begin large scale clothmaking in 1873. This mill formed the backbone of the Mosgiel economy for decades.
Burns died on 15 September 1901 and is memorialised in the names of two schools - Arthur Burns School in Mosgiel and the Arthur Burns Early Learning Centre.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, a member of the Otago Provincial Council, a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives
New Zealand House of Representatives
The New Zealand House of Representatives is the sole chamber of the legislature of New Zealand. The House and the Queen of New Zealand form the New Zealand Parliament....
and founder of the Mosgiel
Mosgiel
Mosgiel is an urban satellite of Dunedin in Otago, New Zealand, fifteen kilometres west of the city's centre. Since the re-organisation of New Zealand local government in 1989 it has been inside the Dunedin City Council area, but was physically separate from the contiguous suburbs until...
Woollen Company, Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
.
Burns was born in Monkton
Monkton, Ayrshire
Monkton is a small village in the Parish of Monkton and Prestwick in South Ayrshire, Scotland.The nearest town is Prestwick and the settlement borders upon Glasgow Prestwick Airport.- History :The village was originally known as Prestwick Monachorum....
, South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire is one of 32 council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire and Dumfries and Galloway....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He was the only son and eldest child of Thomas Burns
Thomas Burns (New Zealand)
Thomas Burns was a prominent early European settler and religious leader of the province of Otago, New Zealand.Burns was baptised at Mauchline, Ayrshire, Scotland in April 1796, the son of estate manager Gilbert Burns, who was the brother of the poet Robert Burns...
and Clementina Grant and the great-nephew of the poet Robert Burns
Robert Burns
Robert Burns was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide...
. He came to Otago with his father in the Philip Laing arriving in Port Chalmers
Port Chalmers
Port Chalmers is a suburb and the main port of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand, with a population of 3,000. Port Chalmers lies ten kilometres inside Otago Harbour, some 15 kilometres northeast from Dunedin's city centre....
on 15 April 1848.
He played a prominent part in provincial affairs and was a member of the Provincial Council from 1855 to 1859 and again from 1863 to 1870. He was also a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives on three occasions; Bruce
Bruce (New Zealand electorate)
Bruce was a rural parliamentary electorate in the Otago region of New Zealand, from 1861 to 1922. For part of the 1860s with the influx to Otago of gold-miners it was a multi-member constituency with two members.-History:...
1865–66, Caversham
Caversham (New Zealand electorate)
Caversham was a parliamentary electorate in the city of Dunedin in the Otago Region of New Zealand, from 1866 to 1908.-History:Caversham was first established in 1866 and abolished in 1890. It was recreated in 1893 and abolished again in 1908....
1866–70 when he resigned, and Roslyn
Roslyn (New Zealand electorate)
Roslyn was a parliamentary electorate in the city of Dunedin in the Otago Region, New Zealand from 1866 to 1890.-History:George Hepburn, the electorate's first representative who was elected in 1866, resigned in 1869. Henry Driver replaced him. Arthur John Burns was elected in the 1875 general...
1875–78 when he resigned. He vigorously opposed the abolition of the provinces
Provinces of New Zealand
The Provinces of New Zealand existed from 1841 until 1876 as a form of sub-national government. They were replaced by counties, which were themselves replaced by districts.Following abolition, the provinces became known as provincial districts...
in 1876.
On 6 April 1861 he married Sarah Scott Dickson, with whom he had 11 children.
He founded the Mosgiel Woollen Company in 1871 in an area on the western outskirts of Dunedin. Burns named the town Mosgiel after his great-uncle Robert Burns's Mossgiel farm in Ayrshire
Ayrshire
Ayrshire is a registration county, and former administrative county in south-west Scotland, United Kingdom, located on the shores of the Firth of Clyde. Its principal towns include Ayr, Kilmarnock and Irvine. The town of Troon on the coast has hosted the British Open Golf Championship twice in the...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He imported skilled labour and specialised equipment from Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
to begin large scale clothmaking in 1873. This mill formed the backbone of the Mosgiel economy for decades.
Burns died on 15 September 1901 and is memorialised in the names of two schools - Arthur Burns School in Mosgiel and the Arthur Burns Early Learning Centre.