James Walker Bain

James Walker Bain

James Walker Bain (1841 – 29 September 1899) was a 19th-century New Zealand politician. He was a significant businessman in Invercargill and Southland.

Bain was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1841.^[1][2] His parents were the spirit merchant John Bain and his wife, Elizabeth Middlemass.^[3] He received his education at the Free Church Normal School and then at a private academy. He started with the printing company Oliver and Boyd and learned the trade of a compositor.^[1][4]

He arrived in Port Chalmers in New Zealand, Otago's harbour, on 23 September 1858 on the Jura from Glasgow.^[5] His parents, five sisters and one brother arrived in Otago on the Gloucester three months later; one of his sisters was Wilhelmina Sherriff Bain.^[3] He initially worked for the Otago Witness^[1] before going to Auckland for two years.^[4] He moved to Invercargill at the beginning of 1861.^[1] Together with George Smallfield, he founded Invercargill's first newspaper, the Southland News and Foveaux Straits Herald, and its first edition was published on 14 February 1861.^[1] The paper later became the Southland Daily News and existed until 1967, when it was bought by the rival The Southland Times.^[6] Bain founded the Mataura Paper Mill in 1875.^[6] He was a significant businessman in Invercargill, was president of the Southland Building Society for the first 30 years of its existence. He was a member of the Southland Education Board for many years, and was at times its chairman.^[1]

He represented the Invercargill electorate in Parliament from 1879 to 1881, when he retired.^[2] He was Mayor of Invercargill in 1891–1892.^[6]

Bain died unexpectedly on the morning of 29 September 1899 after falling ill on 26 September. He was survived by his wife, three sons, and four daughters.^[1] He was buried at St. John's Cemetery in Invercargill.^[6]

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