John O'Meara (1856 – 3 July 1904) was a

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 ...

Member of Parliament in New Zealand.

Private life

O'Meara was born in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

in 1856. He came to New Zealand with his family in 1868, and joined the Post and Telegraph Department in 1871. After that, he was in business in Queenstown in

Otago Otago (, ; ) is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local go ...

. His sister married Albert Eichardt, the owner of Eichardt's Hotel. Soon after the November election, he moved to Woodville in the Manawatū-Whanganui region. He became an auctioneer by trade.

Political career

O'Meara was chairman of the Lake County Council for some time, and a member of the Queenstown Borough Council. When Thomas Fergus retired from the electorate prior to the 1893 election, O'Meara was one of three candidates for the position;

William Fraser William Fraser may refer to: Military people *William W. Fraser (1844–1915), American Civil War soldier and Medal of Honor recipient *William Archibald Kenneth Fraser (1886–1969), British army officer *William Fraser (British Army officer) ( ...

won the election, and O'Meara came a distant second but ahead of

William Larnach William James Mudie Larnach (27 January 1833 – 12 October 1898) was a New Zealand businessman and politician. He is known for his extravagant incomplete house near Dunedin called Larnach's castle by his opponents and now known as Larnach Cas ...

. He was still relatively unknown in the

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 ...

electorate when he stood in the 1896 general election, and to the surprise of many, he defeated Robert Manisty and

William Wilson McCardle William Wilson McCardle JP (1 April 1844 – 4 January 1922) was a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council. Born in Scotland, he came to New Zealand as a young man and lived in a variety of places. He was a nurseryman and advocated for la ...

. O'Meara held the Pahiatua electorate until his sudden death in 1904. In 1903 he was elected as the Liberal Party's senior whip in which role he was to serve until his death.

Death

O'Meara died unexpectedly on 3 July 1904. Returning home from a bike ride, he had just passed his housekeeper when she heard him crash onto the gravel driveway; he was dead before a doctor arrived 15 minutes later. An autopsy found that an artery carrying blood to his brain was blocked. He was survived by his wife and eight children.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Omeara, John New Zealand Liberal Party MPs 1856 births 1904 deaths People from Woodville, New Zealand People from Queenstown, New Zealand Australian emigrants to New Zealand 19th-century New Zealand politicians Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives