James Benn Bradshaw

James Benn Bradshaigh Bradshaw (22 September 1832 – 1 September 1886) was a 19th-century member of parliament in the Otago region of New Zealand.

Private life

He was born in Barton Blount, South Derbyshire, England, the son of a clergyman. He was a gold prospector and miner in Australia before becoming a bank assayer. In Otago he was also an assayer, before becoming the editor of the Lake Wakatip Mail newspaper in 1863. During his political career he worked for reform of the laws relating to gold mining and for labour law reform and small landholders.^[1]

He played cricket for Otago and competed in the 1864 game against the English team led by George Parr touring in New Zealand in 1863/64.^[1][2]

Political career

Parliament of New Zealand
Years	Term	Electorate		Party
1866–1870	4th	Gold Field Towns		Independent
1871–1875	5th	Waikaia		Independent
1884–1886	9th	Dunedin Central		Independent

He first stood for the Otago Provincial Council in 1864, but was unsuccessful.^[1] He was elected to the provincial government in the Mount Benger electorate on 23 March 1871 and served until the dissolution of the Council's sixth session on 22 May 1873.^[3] He was a member of the Otago Executive Council from 2 June 1871 to 19 November 1872.^[4]

He represented the Gold Field Towns electorate from 1866 to 1870; then from 1871 the Waikaia electorate, until he retired in 1875. He then represented the Dunedin Central electorate from 1884 until he died in 1886.^[5]

Death

Bradshaw died of a stroke in Dunedin on 1 September 1886.^[1]

References

1. Hearn, T. J. (1 September 2010). "Bradshaw, James Benn Bradshaigh". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Retrieved 5 January 2011.
2. "Otago v G Parr's XI". Cricket Archive. Retrieved 4 January 2011.
3. Scholefield 1950, pp. 216, 219.
4. Scholefield 1950, p. 217.
5. Scholefield 1950, p. 96.

Sources

• Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.