MOUAT, JOHN (1830-1902) was born at Unst, in the Scottish Hebrides, and was educated in the parish school and at Lerwick High School. In 1852 he came to Victoria, where he engaged in goldmining. Crossing to Otago in 1861, he joined the gold rush to Gabriel's Gully. In 1864 he was elected to the Otago Provincial Council for the Goldfields. For a time he was in the executive, and in 1866, in Vogel's administration, he was provincial secretary and secretary for public works. Mouat was a member of the first mining conference held in Otago (1868). Retiring from the Council in 1871, he took up the study of law, was admitted as a barrister and solicitor in 1872, and practised in Lawrence till 1894, when he moved to Dunedin. In 1889-90 he was secretary of the mining and metallurgical committee of New Zealand. He was on the staff of the Mining Journal and wrote also for newspapers. He died on 1 Jul 1902.

Cycl. N.Z., iv; N.Z. Chess Book, 1922; Pyke (p); Otago Daily Times, 2 Jul 1902.

Reference: Volume 2, page 56

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