James John Clark (29 July 1870 – 20 January 1936) was a New Zealand politician. He served as

mayor of Dunedin The mayor of Dunedin is the head of the local government, the city council of Dunedin, New Zealand. The mayor's role is "to provide leadership to the other elected members of the territorial authority, be a leader in the community and perform c ...

from 1915 to 1919.

Biography

Born in Riverton in 1870, Clark was the youngest son of Presbyterian minister Reverend James Clark, and his wife, Margaret Munro Clark. A few months later, the family moved to Palmerston. Clark moved to

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

in 1895, where he remained for the rest of his life. Clark was first elected as a Dunedin city councillor in 1909. He became mayor in 1915, and was the first person to hold the office for four consecutive years. He remained on the city council until 1921, when he did not seek re-election, but again served as a city councillor from 1923 until 1933. Clark twice stood as the Reform Party candidate for the

Dunedin North Dunedin North, also known as North Dunedin, is a major inner suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin, located northeast of the city centre. It contains many of the city's major institutions, including the city's university, polytechnic, ...

parliamentary seat. In the 1922 Dunedin North by-election, he finished second, 120 votes behind the Labour candidate, Jim Munro. He stood again at the 1922 general election, but once again lost to Munro, this time by 55 votes. Other public bodies on which Clark served included the Dunedin Drainage Board, the Ocean Beach Domain Board, the Dunedin Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, and the board of governors of the

King Edward Technical College King Edward Technical College is a former technical college in Dunedin, New Zealand. The college was established in 1889 as the Dunedin Technical School when the Caledonian Society of Otago instigated Night school, night education classes. B ...

. He was a member of the Otago Patriotic Association from its foundation, serving as its president during his term as Dunedin mayor, and was also a member of the National War Funds Council. Clark was a prominent

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

, and was grand master of the New Zealand Grand Lodge in 1929. He was also active in cricket administration, serving as president of both the Otago Cricket Association and the New Zealand Cricket Council. In the

1918 New Year Honours The 1918 New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the British Empire. The appointments were published in ''The London Gazette'' and ''The Times'' in Janu ...

, Clark was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, and the following year he was promoted to

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, for services in connection with patriotic undertakings, in the 1919 King's Birthday Honours. Clark died in Dunedin on 20 January 1936, and was buried in the Dunedin Northern Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, James 1870 births 1936 deaths People from Riverton, New Zealand Mayors of Dunedin New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand Freemasons Reform Party (New Zealand) politicians Unsuccessful candidates in the 1922 New Zealand general election Burials at Dunedin Northern Cemetery