Job Vile (1845 – 6 December 1905) was an independent conservative Member of Parliament in New Zealand, representing the Manawatu electorate between 1902 and 1905. He served as the first chairman of Pahiatua Country Council, and the first mayor of

Pahiatua Pahiatua () is a rural service town in the south-eastern North Island of New Zealand with a population of . It is between Masterton and Woodville, New Zealand, Woodville on New Zealand State Highway 2, State Highway 2 and along the Wairarapa Lin ...

Early life and family

Born in

North Curry North Curry is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, east of Taunton. The parish, which includes several hamlets, had a population of 1,640 in 2011. History The parish was part of the North Curry Hundred. North Curry was settled in ...

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, England, in 1845, Vile was the son of John Vile and Ann Foster. In 1856, the family emigrated to New Zealand on the ''Anne Wilson'', arriving in

Wellington Wellington 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 third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

and first settling in the

Hutt Valley The Hutt Valley (or 'The Hutt') is the large area of fairly flat land in the Hutt River valley in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Like the river that flows through it, it takes its name from Sir William Hutt, a director of the New Zea ...

. However, after flooding in 1858, they moved to the

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service t ...

, eventually purchasing land to farm near present-day Carterton. On 15 June 1866, Vile married Helen Bland Rayner, and the couple went on to have 12 children. The trade unionist and politician

Sonja Davies Sonja Margaret Loveday Davies (née Vile; 11 November 1923 – 12 June 2005) was a New Zealand trade unionist, peace campaigner, and Member of Parliament. On 6 February 1987, Davies was the third appointee to the Order of New Zealand."The ...

was Vile's great-granddaughter.

Business activities

By 1873, Vile was in business as a carrier, operating coaches between Wellington and Wairarapa. Over the years the length of his run decreased as the railway line was extended. Between 1893 and 1895, he ran a coach line servicing the coastal route from

Hāwera Hāwera is the second-largest centre in the Taranaki region of New Zealand's North Island, with a population of . It is near the coast of the South Taranaki Bight. The origins of the town lie in a government military base that was establishe ...

New Plymouth New Plymouth () is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, in Devon, from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. The New Pl ...

. Vile purchased the '' Hastings Standard'' newspaper in 1897, and his son, Arthur, became the manager and editor. However, the paper was sold in 1899.

Political career

Local politics

Vile began his involvement in local-body politics as one of the first members of the

Masterton Masterton () is a large town in the Wellington Region, Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand that operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa ...

Borough Council after the town achieved that status in 1877. He later served as the first chairman of the Pahiatua County Council from 1888 to 1890, and continued as a council member for a further three years. He was the first mayor of the borough of Pahiatua, serving two separate terms: from 1892 to 1893; and from January to November in 1895. A long-time temperance advocate, Vile served as "chief ruler" of the Pahiatua Rechabite Lodge.

New Zealand Parliament

At the 1902 general election, Vile stood as an independent for the Manawatu electorate, defeating the incumbent, John Stevens 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. For example, while the political systems ...

, by 1691 votes to 1515. During his term he criticised the government, and in particular wasteful public spending. He again contested the seat at the 1905 election against John Stevens, who this time defeated Vile 2404 votes to 2045, a majority of 359. A third candidate, Oswald Gardner, standing as an independent, garnered 233 votes. However, Vile died suddenly from heart failure at Marton on the day of the election (6 December 1905), before the results were released. He was buried at Mangatainoka Pahiatua Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vile, Job 1845 births 1905 deaths People from Taunton Deane (district) English emigrants to New Zealand Mayors of places in Manawatū-Whanganui Local politicians in New Zealand New Zealand temperance activists New Zealand businesspeople Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates Independent MPs of New Zealand Unsuccessful candidates in the 1905 New Zealand general election