Vigor Brown
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Vigor Brown MP |
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Vigor Brown in 1910
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| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Napier |
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In office 17 November 1908 – 1922 |
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| Preceded by | Alfred Fraser |
| Succeeded by | Lewis McIlvride |
| 8th Mayor of Napier | |
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In office 1907–1917 |
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In office 1919–1921 |
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In office 1927–1933 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
18 June 1854 London |
| Died | 2 September 1942 (aged 88) Napier |
| Political party |
Liberal (1908–20) Reform (1920–25) |
| Relations | James Drysdale Brown (brother) |
John Vigor Brown (18 June 1854 – 2 September 1942), known as Vigor Brown, was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for Napier, in the North Island. He was Mayor of Napier for a total of 18 years. He was a well-known figure in his adopted city, a successful businessman, and involved in many clubs and organisations.
Brown was born in London in 1854. For his parents, Jessie Gilmour and John Brown, it was their third boy and last child. Both parents had Scottish ancestry. His father worked for a bank, and was later a commercial traveller. The family briefly lived in France before emigrating to Victoria, Australia. John Vigor Brown, his brothers and their mother arrived in Melbourne on 22 January 1862 on the Water Nymph. It is assumed that his father was already there. They made their home in South Yarra. He was educated at Melbourne Church of England Grammar School.James Drysdale Brown was an elder brother.
Brown learned the trade of a wholesale merchant (clothing) at the firm Sargood, King and Sargood in Melbourne. He came to Wellington in 1875. For two years, he worked for the Wellington firm of A. P. Stewart and Company as a travelling sales person. His next employment brought him to Napier, where he remained for the rest of his life. He became branch manager for Archibald Clark and Sons, an importing company. He resigned from that position in May 1898 and took on the management of Neal and Close, where he was managing director at a later point. He formed his own company, J. Vigor Brown and Co. He was further managing director of White Swan Brewery, and Hawke's Bay Soap and Tannery. He was a director of the Napier Gas Company. He was the local agent for the United and Phoenix Fire Insurance Companies.
He was voted onto both the Napier Harbour Board and the Napier Borough Council in 1898. He was chairman of the Harbour Board from February 1904 until April 1911. He was a member of the Chamber of Commerce.
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