O'MEARA, JOHN (1856-1904) was born in Melbourne, educated at the model school and at St Francis and St Augustine's schools. He came to New Zealand in 1868. Entering the Post and Telegraph department at Queenstown (1871), he spent 14 years in the service and then engaged in business in the town. He was chairman of the Lake county council for three years and a member of the Queenstown borough council for eight. In 1893 he contested the Wakatipu seat in Parliament against W. Fraser (q.v.) and Larnach, being second on the poll. O'Meara then removed to Pahiatua. At the election of 1896 he won the Pahiatua seat in the Liberal interest and retained it until his death on 3 Jul 1904. For several years he was a Government whip. O'Meara was a keen sportsman and president for some years of the Pahiatua Racing Club. He married a daughter of J. A. Eissenhardt, architect, of Greymouth.

Cycl. NZ, vi; N.Z. Times, 6 Jun 1900, 5 Jul 1904.

Reference: Volume 2, page 70

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