O'CONNOR, CHARLES YELVERTON (1843-1902), the youngest son of John O'Connor, was born in Gravelmouth, county Meath, Ireland. He was educated at the Waterford endowed school, and apprenticed in 1859 to J. Challoner Smith, M.I.C.E., a railway contractor. After some years with railway construction companies in Ireland he came to New Zealand in 1865, and was appointed assistant engineer (under Dobson) to the Canterbury provincial government, bearing much of the responsibility for the road to the West Coast. In 1870 he was engineer for Westland, and in 1880 he rose to be inspector of engineering for the South Island, a General Government post. From 1883 to 1890 O'Connor was Under-secretary of Public Works. In 1890 he was appointed marine engineer, but the following year he went to Western Australia as engineer-in-chief. There he carried out the construction of the Fremantle harbour and the Coolgardie pumping scheme, and was also general manager of railways. O'Connor was an engineer and economist of outstanding ability. In 1897 he was created C.M.G. He died on 8 Mar 1902.

App. H.R. (N.Z.), 1871-72 D; 1874-80 E; 1882 D; 1883 D2, 1887 D6; 1890 D8; (ii) D1, 3,4; Dr Merab Harris, biography, in Studies of Univ. of Western Australia, Oct 1934 (p); Dobson; Lyttelton Times, 26 May 1881, 12 Mar 1902; N.Z. Times, 12 Mar 1902; The Press, 13 Mar; Evening Post, 11 Mar.

Reference: Volume 2, page 69

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