WILKIE, JAMES (1844-99) was born at Nelson. His father, William Wilkie (1814-91) was born in Scotland. He arrived in Nelson from New South Wales (1842) and was a storekeeper and the principal founder of The Colonist. James Wilkie imbibed radical notions from his father and A. Saunders (q.v.), and had a distinguished career at Nelson College (where he was one of the first pupils enrolled). Intending to follow a business career, he gained a knowledge of book-keeping and accountancy. In 1865 he went to the West Coast goldfields and opened a store at Cobden, but returned to take charge of his father's business. As mineowner on the West Coast he was one of the first to employ steam power. He leased the Brunner mine, and conveyed coal in barges to Greymouth. At this time he had several stores and engaged in gold buying. Wilkie was elected M.P.C. for Motueka in the sixties, but did not take his seat. When quartz was discovered he conveyed machinery to Reefton; he engaged in the timber business, and finally was an overseer on railway contracts. He represented Grey in the Nelson Provincial Council (1870-72). Moving to Canterbury, he was surveyor to the Oxford road board and then to the Ashburton county council. He carried out the drainage on Longbeach station and advocated the construction of water races. For a while he edited the Ashburton Guardian. Later Wilkie was engaged constructing bridges on the Masterton-Opaki railway and the Gear Co.'s wharf at Petone. While again on the West Coast store-keeping and mining he was invited to run an independent newspaper at Reefton to oppose the activities of the sharebrokers. Several law cases followed.

Wilkie afterwards joined the Evening Press (Wellington), of which he was editor when it ceased publication (1894). He then became a political correspondent at Wellington. He was a vigorous writer, with a fine grasp of colonial politics. For some time he was a member of the conciliation board in Wellington. He died on 8 Feb 1899.

Nelson Coll. Reg.; Parlry Record; The Press, 9 May 1896; Evening Post, 9 Feb 1899.

Reference: Volume 2, page 257

🌳 Further sources