Richard James Strachan Harman

Richard James Strachan Harman (14 April 1826 – 26 November 1902) was trained as a civil engineer. However, in Christchurch, New Zealand, he worked as a bureaucrat, politician and businessman. He was one of the Canterbury Pilgrims, having arrived in Lyttelton, on the Sir George Seymour, one of the First Four Ships. He was a business partner of Edward Cephas John Stevens and senior partner of Harman and Stevens, and together they took financial control of the Christchurch newspaper The Press from its original proprietor, James FitzGerald, over a protracted period. Harman held many important roles with the Canterbury Provincial Council and was the last Deputy-Superintendent.

Harman was born in Dublin in 1826, the son of Richard Harman. He was educated at Rugby School under Dr Thomas Arnold, and at King's College London. He was a pupil of George and Sir John Rennie, the London engineers, and he graduated as a civil engineer.

Soon afterwards, he emigrated to New Zealand, arriving in Lyttelton on 17 December 1850 by the ship Sir George Seymour. He lived in Canterbury except for one period. Between 1854-56, he was emigration agent in London for the Canterbury Province. With the financial assistance of long-standing friends of Canterbury, John Robert Godley and Henry Selfe Selfe, he established emigration to the province. The first ship which he sent out was the Grasmere in 1855. The sixth, and last, which brought him back to Lyttelton, in 1856, was the Egmont.

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