page_title: John Duthie (politician)
section_title: Political career
hierarchical_section_title: John Duthie (politician) / Political career
caption_attribution_description: English: Caricatures of four parliamentarians. Sketch in black ink over pencil of Major William Jukes Stewart, John Duthie, Alexander Wilson Hogg and John McLachlan. Sketch is on p168 of the scrapbook.
context_page_description: John Duthie was a politician and businessman in New Zealand. Originally from Scotland, he came to Auckland in 1863. He set up his own ironmongery in New Plymouth, then Wanganui, and he finally settled in Wellington. In the latter city, he was mayor for one term. He then represented Wellington in Parliament for a total of eleven years. For the last two years of his life, he was appointed to the New Zealand Legislative Council.
context_section_description: While a resident of Wanganui, he was at one time chairman of the Harbour Board. In Wellington he was a member of the Wellington Harbour Board for many years and was chairman of that body in 1887–1888. In 1889, he was elected Mayor of Wellington without opposition. He held the position for one year.
  Duthie, a conservative politician who was never sympathetic to the ideas of the Liberal Party, was first elected to the three-member electorate of City of Wellington in the 1890 general election, when he came second, with 50 votes behind George Fisher, but 300 votes ahead of Kennedy Macdonald. He served until the end of the term of the 11th New Zealand Parliament in 1893. At the 1893 general election, he was again elected for Wellington, coming third alongside Francis Bell (the later Prime Minister) and Robert Stout (the former Prime Minister), but defeating the incumbent Macdonald. Duthie retired at the end of the term of the 12th New Zealand Parliament in 1896 and did not stand in the 1896 general election.
  The resignation of Stout triggered the 9 March 1898 City of Wellington by-election. The election was contested by Duthie and Richard Clement Kirk, with the former being successful. Duthie retired at the end of the term of the 13th New Zealand Parliament in 1899 and did not stand in the 1899 general election.
  Duthie stood once more in the three-member Wellington electorate in the 1902 general election and came second, and was thus returned alongside John Aitken and George Fisher. He served until the end of the term of the 15th New Zealand Parliament in 1905.
  The Wellington electorate was abolished in 1905 and replaced by three single-member electorates. Duthie chose to contest the Wellington North electorate and contested it against Charles Hayward Izard and George Dickson Macfarlane. Izard was successful, with Duthie coming second, and the latter's parliamentary career had thus come to an end.
  Duthie was remembered as one of the sternest critics of the Liberal Government under Richard Seddon. Duthie had a very direct manner. He believed strongly that he was right, and that everybody who disagreed with him was wrong.
  Under William Massey's Reform Government, Duthie was appointed to the Legislative Council on 26 June 1913 and served until his death.
caption: John Duthie caricature, 1896
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