Edward Thomas Gillon

Edward Thomas Gillon (21 January 1842 – 19 April 1896) was a New Zealand journalist and newspaper editor.

Gillon was born on 21 January 1842 in Douglas, Isle of Man. He arrived in New Zealand with his parents in 1851 aboard the ship Maori and settled in Otago, where for several years he endured the rough experiences of settlement in a new country. While quite a youth he became a contributor to the Otago Witness, and was engaged reporting the Otago Provincial Council proceedings for that paper, when, in 1861, the Otago goldfields were discovered. Gillon was at once sent to Gabriel's Gully as special correspondent for the Otago Witness, and was the first press representative on the diggings. He remained there until recalled to Dunedin to again report in the Provincial Council, and he was so engaged when Julius Vogel arrived from Australia and, entering into partnership with William Cutten, the proprietor of the Otago Witness, established the Otago Daily Times, the first daily paper published in New Zealand. Gillon joined the Otago Daily Times staff as chief reporter, and remained on it until early the following year, when severe illness compelled him to relinquish newspaper work for a time. He accepted a Government appointment which, after two or three years, he resigned to resume journalistic work. In 1867 he went to Wellington as a member of the first Hansard staff, and was subsequently appointed Clerk of Private Bills to the New Zealand Parliament. He resigned this office after a brief tenure in order to devote himself exclusively to literary work, and became connected with the The Evening Post as well as acting as special correspondent for the Otago Daily Times, Lyttelton Times, and other leading journals.

He contested the 1871 election, standing in the Wellington Country electorate against Alfred Brandon, who had been representing the area since 1858 (from 1860 to 1870, the area was covered by the Porirua electorate). Whilst there was criticism of Brandon not having had a good connection to his electorate, Brandon won with a solid majority.

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