John Hyde Harris

John Hyde Harris was an ambitious man of aristocratic lineage but his colonial career ended in relative poverty and failure. He was born in Deddington, England, in 1826 and could trace his lineage back to the first Earl of Clarendon, Edward Hyde. After training in law he emigrated to Otago in his mid 20s, arriving in Port Chalmers on the Poictiers in 1850. He commenced practice as the second lawyer in Dunedin and was soon embroiled in local politics.

In 1851 he married one of Captain Cargill’s daughters but was often at odds with his father-in-law on political matters. He headed the poll for Dunedin Country in the first election to the new Provincial Council in 1853. He was also a member of the first Dunedin Town Board (precursor to the City Council) and was elected as Otago Superintendent in 1863. He began an ambitious public works programme and coped admirably with Otago’s economic crisis as gold revenues declined. He became Mayor of Dunedin in 1867, at the same time being a member of the Legislative Council and the Solicitor-General.

Harris also filled many other public roles. He was the district judge from 1859 to 1862, captain of the Otago Light Horse volunteers, president of the 1865 Dunedin Exhibition and a University of Otago councillor. Converting from his native Anglicanism to the Presbyterian persuasion, he donated the site of Knox Church.

Above all, however, Harris wanted to build a fortune worthy of his illustrious pedigree. He was one of Dunedin’s merchant elite in the 1850s and invested heavily in land on the north Dunedin flat. He overreached himself in the 1860s when he tried to develop a private township called Clarendon at the head of Lake Waihola. When the sections failed to sell he lost £28,000 and had to declare bankruptcy. This effectively put an end to his political career and Harris returned to the law. He was unable to revive his fortunes and was imprisoned for debt in 1885. Harris died the following year, leaving an estate of just £100. It was a sad end for a man who had achieved so much but always wanted more.