Jesse Piper

Jesse Piper (1836 – 21 April 1920) was a Nelson (New Zealand) City Councillor and Mayor.

Early life

Piper was born in 1836 at Hastings, Sussex, England. He went to sea as a youth.^[1] On the outbreak of the Crimean War joined the storeship HMS Apollo and sailed to Malta. Once there he was transferred to the express boat Banshee, and then to the HMS Britannia, the flagship of Admiral Dundas. Later Piper served on the paddle steamer Cyclops, which took the 28th Regiment from Malta to Gallipoli. Piper was injured and discharged from the navy. He joined the merchant service until 1860.

He then became a storekeeper in Hastings until he migrated to New Zealand from London on 24 July 1872^[2] on the ship Asterope arriving at Nelson on 19 October 1872.^[3] Piper settled in Nelson, and ran the YMCA hostel on the corner or Bridge and Collingwood Street until 1883,^[4] when he retired from business.

Politics

Local body

In 1890 Piper was elected to the City Council and in April 1904 was elected mayor. He lost the Mayoralty in April 1905 to Henry Baigent.^[5] He stood again in 1906 and was re-elected until 1910. In the 1910 election he was defeated by Thomas Pettit.^[6]

Parliament

Joseph Shephard resigned on 15 April 1885 from the Waimea electorate when he was appointed to the Legislative Council. The resulting 1885 by-election, which was held on 3 June, was contested by six candidates: John Kerr (253 votes), W. N. Franklyn (250 votes), William White (94 votes), Christian Dencker (91 votes), W. Wastney (59 votes) and Jesse Piper (32 votes). Kerr was thus elected.^[7][8]

Piper also unsuccessfully stood for Parliament in the 1896 general election in the City of Nelson electorate, coming second against John Graham.^[9]

Piper was noted as a man of firm convictions.^[1]

Community service

Piper was a member of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board for a time, a prominent member of the Recabite Order and interested in the temperance movement. He was a trustee of the local YMCA.^[1]

Death

Piper died at his Waimea Road residence in Nelson on 21 April 1920, aged 83. He was survived by his second wife.^[1]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "Obituary". Colonist: p. 4. Volume LXII, Issue 15357, 22 April 1920. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&d=TC19200422.2.21. Retrieved 21 July 2011. 
2. ^ Government Immigration, Timaru Herald, Volume XVII, Issue 791, 26 August 1872, Page 3
3. ^ Arrival of the ship Asterope from London, Colonist, Volume XV, Issue 1574, 22 October 1872, Page 2
4. ^ Untitled, Nelson Evening Mail, Volume XVIII, Issue 238, 10 October 1883, Page 2
5. ^ Ex Mayors, page 42, The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Nelson, Marlborough & Westland Provincial Districts], The Cyclopedia Company, Limited, 1906, Christchurch
6. ^ Page 2, Advertisements Column 3, Colonist, Volume LII, Issue 12779, 28 April 1910
7. ^ "Official Declaration of the Poll". Colonist: p. 1. Volume XXVIII, Issue 4170, 20 June 1885. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=TC18850620.2.17.2.1. Retrieved 22 July 2011. 
8. ^ "Summary Notes". Colonist: p. 3. Volume XXVIII, Issue 4122, 25 April 1885. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=TC18850425.2.6. Retrieved 22 July 2011. 
9. ^ "The Nelson Election". Nelson Evening Mail: p. 2. Volume XXX, Issue 292, 10 December 1896. http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NEM18961210.2.10.3. Retrieved 21 July 2011. 

Political offices
Preceded by Henry Baigent	Mayor of Nelson 1904–1905 1906–1910	Succeeded by Henry Baigent
Preceded by Henry Baigent		Succeeded by Thomas Pettit

Persondata
Name	Piper, Jesse
Alternative names
Short description	Former Mayor of Nelson
Date of birth	1836
Place of birth	Hastings, Sussex
Date of death	1920
Place of death	Nelson, New Zealand