John Edie (New Zealand politician) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids John Edie
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Bruce
In office 14 April 1920 – 7 December 1922
Preceded by	James Allen
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Clutha
In office 7 December 1922 – 4 November 1925
Preceded by	Alexander Malcolm
Succeeded by	Fred Waite
Personal details
Born	1856 Newcastle, New South Wales
Died	7 June 1928 Lawrence, New Zealand
Political party	Liberal
Occupation	Engineer

John Edie (born in 1856, died on 7 June 1928) was a New Zealand politician. He was a Member of Parliament for the Liberal Party in the Otago region. Before becoming a politician, he worked as a surveyor and an engineer. He also spent some time as a farmer. He was even the Mayor of Lawrence, a town in New Zealand.

Early Life and Work

John Edie was born in Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, in 1856. When he was a child, his family moved to New Zealand. He went to school in a place called Waitahuna, which is close to Lawrence.

In 1873, when he was about 17, he started working for the survey department. Surveyors measure and map land. He helped survey the railway line for the Catlins River Branch.

By 1876, at the age of 20, he became an assistant surveyor for the New Zealand Government.

In 1885, he joined the Tuapeka County Council as an engineer. He worked there for a very long time, until 1919. He left this job to try and become a Member of Parliament.

Becoming a Politician

John Edie first tried to become a Member of Parliament in 1896. He ran for the Clutha area. However, he lost this election to James William Thomson.

He tried again in the 1919 election for the Bruce area. He was a candidate for the Liberal Party. He ran against James Allen from the Reform Party. John Edie lost by a very small number of votes.

However, James Allen resigned from Parliament in March 1920. This meant there was a special election, called a by-election, for the Bruce area. John Edie won this by-election. At that time, he was also the Mayor of Lawrence.

In the 1922 general election, John Edie won the election for the Clutha area. He served as the Member of Parliament for Clutha until the 1925 election. In that election, he lost his seat to Fred Waite, who was from the Reform Party.

Later Life and Interests

Besides his political career, John Edie had other interests. For a while, he was the captain of a group called the Tuapeka Rifles. He was also very interested in mining, especially gold mining. He had a share in a mine located at a place called Island Block.

He also shared a farm with his two sons. This farm was quite large, about 900 acres, and was located in Tuapeka West.

John Edie passed away on 7 June 1928 in Lawrence. He had been unwell with heart problems for about six months before he died.

His son, Herbert Kerr Edie, also tried to become a politician. He ran for the Labour Party in the Clutha area in the 1935 and 1938 election elections, but he was not successful.