Samuel Brown (1845 – 14 August 1909) was the

Mayor of Wellington The mayor of Wellington is the head of the municipal government of Wellington, the city of Wellington. The mayor presides over the Wellington City Council. The mayor is directly elected using the Single Transferable Vote method of proportional ...

, New Zealand from 1887 to 1888. Brown was born in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

in 1845. He came to New Zealand in 1862, first settling in

Invercargill Invercargill ( , ) is the southernmost and westernmost list of cities in New Zealand, city in New Zealand, and one of the Southernmost settlements, southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland Region, Southlan ...

having walked there from

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 ...

. He erected Hallenstein and Co's first business in New Zealand. Brown then moved to

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 ...

in 1864 where he was a merchant and contractor, responsible for the Wellington steam tramways. He also obtained the No 13 or Paekakariki Contract for the tunnels and central section of the Wellington and Manawatu Line for the

Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company The Wellington and Manawatu Railway Company (WMR or W&MR) was a private rail transport, railway Railway company, company that built, owned and operated the Wellington–Manawatu Line, Wellington-Manawatu railway line between Thorndon, New Zeal ...

. With access difficulties this was the most difficult contract for the line; see

North–South Junction The North–South Junction is a section of single-track rail line about 3.4 km long, north of Wellington, New Zealand, between the closed (2011) Muri railway station (north of Pukerua Bay railway station) and the (lower) Paekakariki railwa ...

. He was also involved in the construction of the Midland and Westland Railways. He built the first portion of the Wellington Gas Works, the Maginnity Street drill shed, and the first lighthouse at Cape Farewell. He was the Managing Director of S Brown and Sons Limited, wood and coal merchants. This was a firm he founded on his arrival in Wellington. He was a member of the Wellington Bowling Club and a

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 ...

. At one point in time he had a wood and flax business based in Foxton and owned a small steamer the ''Piaka'' as part of that business. He was a

Wellington City Council Wellington City Council is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the city of Wellington, the country's capital city and List of cities in New Zealand#City councils, third-largest city by popul ...

lor from 1879 to 1885, and Mayor from 1887 to 1888. Brown served on 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 ...

and the Wellington College Board of Governors. He was the first President of the Wellington Industrial Association, which promoted the Wellington Industrial Exhibition of 1896. He was also first President of the New Zealand Industrial Association. Brown was also the employers representative on the Arbitration Court for a time. The

Wellington Technical School Wellington High School is a co-educational secondary school in the CBD of Wellington, New Zealand. It has a role of approximately 1600 students. It was founded in 1886 as the Wellington College of Design (later the Wellington Technical School), ...

received financial support from the Industrial Association as a result of his efforts and support. Brown had four sons and his only daughter was married to the City Solicitor,

John O'Shea John Francis O'Shea (; born 30 April 1981) is an Irish professional football coach and former player who is currently assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland men's national team. He was known for his versatility in playing several defensi ...

. Brown died at his Hanson Street, Wellington residence on 14 August 1909 after a brief period of illness. He was buried at the Bolton Street Cemetery in Wellington.

References

''No Mean City'' by Stuart Perry (1969, Wellington City Council) includes a paragraph and a portrait or photo for each mayor. {{DEFAULTSORT:Brown, Samuel 1845 births 1909 deaths Burials at Bolton Street Cemetery Mayors of Wellington New Zealand people of Irish descent Wellington City Councillors Wellington Harbour Board members 19th-century New Zealand politicians