John Munro (politician)
Encyclopedia
John Munro was a 19th century Member of Parliament from the West Coast, New Zealand.
, Scotland
in 1839. He came to New Zealand on the Lady Egidia, arriving in Dunedin
in 1862. He moved to Invercargill
and had an auctioneering business from 1864 to 1867, when he moved to Westport
.
Liberal
(political parties would only form after the 1890 general election
). He was considered as one of three possible Liberal candidates for the 1879 general election
in the Buller electorate
, the others being Eugene O'Conor
and James Bickerton Fisher
. Fisher was eventually chosen and he beat the incumbent Joseph Henry
.
O'Connor and Munro were nominated for the 1881 general election
in the Buller electorate. Munro and O'Connor received 423 and 415 votes, respectively; a majority of eight votes for Munro, who was thus declared elected. Munro served until the end of the term in 1884, when he was defeated by Roderick McKenzie
.
Early life
Munro was born in GlasgowGlasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, 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...
in 1839. He came to New Zealand on the Lady Egidia, arriving in 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...
in 1862. He moved to Invercargill
Invercargill
Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
and had an auctioneering business from 1864 to 1867, when he moved to Westport
Westport, New Zealand
-Economy:Economic activity is based around fishing, coal mining and dairy farming. Historically, gold mining was a major industry, and coal mining was much more extensive than today . However, the region still is home to New Zealand's largest opencast mining operation in Stockton...
.
Political career
He was Mayor of Westport for five terms; in 1876–1877 and in 1879–1881. Munro was an independentIndependent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
Liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
(political parties would only form after the 1890 general election
New Zealand general election, 1890
The New Zealand general election of 1890 was one of New Zealand's most significant. It marked the beginning of party politics in New Zealand with the formation of the First Liberal government, which was to enact major welfare, labour and electoral reforms, including giving the vote to women.It was...
). He was considered as one of three possible Liberal candidates for the 1879 general election
New Zealand general election, 1879
The New Zealand general election of 1879 was held between 28 August and 15 September to elect a total of 88 MPs to the 7th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Māori vote was held on 1 and 8 September. A total number of 82,271 voters turned out to vote.The election came about when George...
in the Buller electorate
Buller (New Zealand electorate)
Buller is a former New Zealand Parliamentary electorate, from 1871 to 1972.-History:Early members for Buller were:*Eugene O'Conor from 1871 to 1875 and again from 1884 to 1893 *Joseph Henry from 1876 to 1879...
, the others being Eugene O'Conor
Eugene O'Conor
Eugene Joseph O'Conor was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for the Buller electorate, in the South Island.-Private life:...
and James Bickerton Fisher
James Bickerton Fisher
James Bickerton Fisher was a 19th century Member of Parliament from the West Coast, New Zealand.He represented the Buller electorate from 1879 to 1881, when he retired.-References:...
. Fisher was eventually chosen and he beat the incumbent Joseph Henry
Joseph Henry (politician)
Joseph Henry was a 19th century Member of Parliament from the West Coast, New Zealand.He represented the Buller electorate from 1876 to 1879, when he was defeated.-References:...
.
O'Connor and Munro were nominated for the 1881 general election
New Zealand general election, 1881
The New Zealand general election of 1881 was held 9 December to elect a total of 95 MPs to the 8th session of the New Zealand Parliament. The Māori vote was held on 8 December...
in the Buller electorate. Munro and O'Connor received 423 and 415 votes, respectively; a majority of eight votes for Munro, who was thus declared elected. Munro served until the end of the term in 1884, when he was defeated by Roderick McKenzie
Roderick McKenzie
Roderick McKenzie was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for Buller and Motueka, in the South Island.-Member of Parliament:...
.