William Montgomery (New Zealand politician)

The Honourable William Montgomery
William Montgomery in ca 1876
New Zealand Legislative Council
In office 1892–1907
4th Minister of Education (New Zealand)
In office 16 August 1884 – 28 August 1884
Preceded by	Thomas Dick
Succeeded by	Robert Stout
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Akaroa
In office 1874 – 1887
Preceded by	Robert Rhodes
Succeeded by	Alexander McGregor
Canterbury Provincial Council
In office 1865–1870
In office 1873 – 187?
Preceded by	Andrew Duncan
Personal details
Born	1820 or 1821 London
Died	21 December 1914 (aged 93) Little River
Resting place	Barbadoes Street Cemetery
Spouse(s)	Jane Montgomery (née Todhunter)
Children	survived by two sons several other children died young
Occupation	timber merchant, politician

William John Alexander Montgomery (c.1821 – 21 December 1914) was a New Zealand politician from Little River on Banks Peninsula, and a merchant. Born in London, he lived in a number of places and pursued a number of occupations before settling in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Montgomery was from an old Scottish family that had settled in Ireland. He was born in London and baptised on 14 January 1821. His father was Josias Montgomery, a saddler, and his mother was Eleanor Martin. His father was killed in a hunting accident in 1825, and William was educated in Belfast at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution, where his uncle Henry Montgomery was head of English.

Montgomery started going to sea when he was 13. At age 18, he was made a captain, having taken control of a ship with a drunken captain and a first mate who was unable to navigate. He later bought this ship.

Montgomery sailed to Williamstown, Victoria, these days a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, in 1850 or 1851, and joined the gold rush. After a short period of digging, he set himself up as a merchant and earned enough money to be able to buy a sheep station on the Darling Downs. Several years of drought crippled him financially, though, and he decided to emigrate to New Zealand.

He came to New Zealand in 1860 and settled in Canterbury. He bought the wharf in Heathcote and imported timber from the bays on Banks Peninsula for the Christchurch market. This developed into a company as a timber merchant.

On 29 August 1865, he married Jane Todhunter, born in Shenley in Hertfordshire, England. She was a daughter of John Todhunter from London. Montgomery was one of the men from a Victorian era who did not marry until they were in their Middle Ages, and the eventual bride would be many years their junior.