JOLLIE, FRANCIS (1815-70) was the eldest son of the Rev. F. Jollie. He arrived in Nelson by the Fifeshire (Jan 1842) and was settled before the Wairau affray. For a short period he acted as resident agent for the New Zealand Company. He took a leading part in the demand for a constitution, and when the provinces were established (in 1853) he stood for the superintendency of Nelson against Stafford, but was defeated: Stafford, 251; Saxton, 206; Jollie, 130.

In 1853 Jollie moved to Canterbury and took up land at Peel Forest. In 1855 he paid a visit to the Old Country and, returning in 1858, married and lived for a short period in Christchurch. His interests being in south Canterbury, Jollie took up the cudgels on behalf of the out-districts, demanding for the settlers the right to spend their revenue on their own works. In 1861-66 he represented Timaru in Parliament, and in 1866-70 he represented Gladstone. For a short while in 1866 he was Colonial Treasurer in the Stafford ministry, but he retired on a reconstruction forced by Moorhouse, who declined office for himself. He was a quiet, unassuming member of Parliament, but always assertive of the rights of his district, and his efforts had much to do with securing for south Canterbury the Timaru and Gladstone board of works, which controlled the expenditure of local revenues.

In Nelson and in Timaru Jollie did useful work as a leader writer for the Nelson Examiner and the Timaru Herald. He had intended retiring from politics when his death occurred on 30 Nov 1870.

Acland; Arnold; Col. Gent.; The Press, 2 Aug 1930.

Reference: Volume 1, page 238

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