COATES, ISAAC (1839-1932) was born near Richmond, Yorkshire, educated there and brought up to farming. He came to Lyttelton in the Lancashire Witch in 1867 and moved to Auckland in 1868. He spent one year on the Thames goldfield before settling in Waikato, as one of the earliest purchasers of land near Hamilton. He took a number of important contracts for drainage, railways and other works and was engaged in flaxmilling, being interested in several mills. As a farmer he was one of the first to introduce agricultural machinery into the Waikato. Coates was a member of the first borough council in Hamilton and mayor of the town for five years to 1892. He also sat on the Waikato hospital board and charitable aid board and the Waikato county council and was chairman of the Kirikiriroa road board for three years. He died on 1 May 1932.

N.Z. Herald, 2 May 1932.

Reference: Volume 1, page 99

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