GRAY, CHARLES MATTHEW (1853-1918) was born in Geelong, Victoria, and came to New Zealand in 1862, settling first in Dunedin. He was engaged in the soft goods business in Wanganui (1865-74) and saw active service in the later years of the Maori war (1868). In 1874 he moved to Christchurch, where 10 years later he established himself in a drapery business. In 1885 he was elected to the City Council, of which he was a member intermittently till 1912. In 1891 he was mayor of Christchurch and in 1904-05 of greater Christchurch. He was chairman of the fire brigade, of the hospital board (1898); of the tramways board (from 1916); and of the executive of the New Zealand International Exhibition (1904-05).

Gray defeated T. E. Taylor in 1905 and represented Christchurch North in the House of Representatives till 1908, when Taylor defeated him. A lifelong advocate of temperance, he regularly compiled statistics of the cost of the liquor traffic to New Zealand. He died on 11 Jun 1918.

N.Z.P.D., 25 Oct 1918; The Press, 12 Jun 1918; Lyttelton Times, 30 Apr 1883.

Portrait: Parliament House.

Reference: Volume 1, page 176

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