Joseph George Harkness JP (21 July 1850 – 9 January 1930) was a 19th-century independent conservative Member of Parliament from

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

, New Zealand.

Early life

Harkness, the son of William Harkness, was born and educated at Nelson, attending

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, a city in the United States * Richmond, London, a town in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town ...

School and

Nelson College Nelson College is the oldest state secondary school in New Zealand, a feat achieved in part thanks to its original inception as a private school. It is an all-boys school in the City of Nelson that teaches from years 9 to 13. In addition, it r ...

(1867–1868). He became a school teacher for a time. Harkness dairy farmed in

Taranaki Taranaki is a regions of New Zealand, region in the west of New Zealand's North Island. It is named after its main geographical feature, the stratovolcano Mount Taranaki, Taranaki Maunga, formerly known as Mount Egmont. The main centre is the ...

and helped organise the dairying industry. He was largely responsible for the co-operative dairy factory company's takeover of the Motorua Freezing Works,

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 ...

. Harkness also helped build up of the National Dairy Association, of which he was its President, secretary, and manager. He secretary of the Dairy Producers Freezing Company from about 1919 to 1929, when he retired. From 1929 he resided Te Horo, Taranaki, where he owned a farm.

Political career

The 1887 general election in the

Waimea-Picton Waimea-Picton was a parliamentary electorate in the Marlborough and Nelson Regions of New Zealand, from 1887 to 1893. Population centres In the 1887 electoral redistribution, although the Representation Commission was required through the Repre ...

electorate was contested by Arthur Seymour, Harkness and

Charles H. Mills Charles Houghton Mills (1843 – 3 April 1923) was a member of parliament for Waimea Plains, Tasman, Waimea and Wairau, in the South Island of New Zealand. Early life Mills was born in Nelson, New Zealand, Nelson. His father was Richard Mills, ...

, who received 446, 444 and 415 votes, respectively. Seymour was thus elected. Harkness represented the Nelson electorate from to 1893, when he retired. The 1890 general election was contested by Harkness, John Kerr and Francis William Flowerday, who received 672, 655 and 94 votes, respectively. The contested the electorate in the and was beaten by the incumbent, Alexander Hogg.

Civic service

Harkness lived in

Khandallah Khandallah is a suburb of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. It is located northeast of the city centre, on hills overlooking Wellington Harbour. Description The northeastern part of the suburb is dominated by a large area of par ...

, Wellington for a number of years and was Mayor of the Onslow Borough in 1907. For some 30 years, he took, a prominent part in the business and public life of the City of Wellington, being a member of the

Chamber of Commerce A chamber of commerce, or board of trade, is a form of business network. For example, a local organization of businesses whose goal is to further the interests of businesses. Business owners in towns and cities form these local societies to a ...

for 26 years and its President three times in 1907, 1908, and 1918. He was a member of the

Wellington Harbour Board Wellington Harbour Board was the body which formerly managed the shipping and commercial affairs of the port of Wellington in New Zealand. It was constituted in 1880 and was disestablished in 1989. During its 110-year tenure the Harbour Board ...

from February 1908 until his death at Midhirst on 9 January 1930. Initially Harkness was the Chamber of Commerce representative on the Board. When the Harbours Act changed the Board he was elected 1911 to represent the payers of harbour dues on goods for two years. He did not stand for re-election, but was appointed Government representative on the board, and held that position up to the time of his death. He was chairman of the Harbour Board from May 1919 to May 1923. As Board Chair, he was a member of the executive of the Harbours Association, and for a time its president. Harkness was a convinced

Prohibitionist Prohibitionism is a legal philosophy and political theory often used in lobbying which holds that citizens will abstain from actions if the actions are typed as unlawful (i.e. prohibited) and the prohibitions are enforced by law enforcement.C Canty ...

and took an active part in the

Temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting Temperance (virtue), temperance or total abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and ...

all his life. He was a prominent member of the

Masonic 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 ...

fraternity. He was survived by his wife, four sons, and two daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harkness, Joseph G 1850 births 1930 deaths Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives People educated at Nelson College People from Nelson, New Zealand New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates Unsuccessful candidates in the 1887 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1893 New Zealand general election Wellington Harbour Board members 19th-century New Zealand politicians New Zealand Freemasons New Zealand temperance activists