Richard Henry Leary (3 November 1840 – 14 May 1895) was Mayor of Dunedin from 1877 to 1878, and again from 1886 to 1887.

Richard Henry Leary
Richard Henry Leary, Mayor of Dunedin
Mayor of Dunedin
In office
1877–1878
1886–1887
Personal details
Born(1840-11-03)3 November 1840
Southall, London, England
Died14 May 1895(1895-05-14) (aged 54)
London, England
Spouse
Carolina Pope
(m. 1862)
Children1

Biography

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Born in Southall, London on 3 November 1840, Leary emigrated in 1854 to Victoria, where he worked in the timber trade and in the goldfields. In 1861, he left for Dunedin, and spent time in the diggings at Gabriel's Gully, before returning to Dunedin where he became a partner in an auctioneering and accountancy firm, Leary and Grant. He went on to found his own accountancy firm.[1]

In 1862, Leary married Carolina Georgina Pope of Ballarat, Victoria.[2]

During his time as Mayor of Dunedin, Leary investigated the bookkeeping of the gas department, which led to the sacking of the manager, although he was later reinstated. In protest, Leary resigned, but easily won reelection. In 1894 Leary traveled to London to sort of Dunedin loan's,[clarification needed] but while there caught pneumonia and died, on 14 May 1895, leaving a widow and one son.[3][4][1]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Death of Mr R.H. Leary". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Notices". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  3. ^ Griffiths, George (September 2005). "Dunedin's 19th Century Mayors" (PDF). Friends of the Hocken Collections Bulletin. 51. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 May 2021. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  4. ^ "Obituary". paperspast.natlib.govt.nz. Retrieved 29 May 2020.