SIMMONDS, JOSEPH HENRY (1845-1936) was born at Spring Grove, Nelson, the son of Joseph Simmonds (q.v.). Educated in Nelson and at Canterbury College, he had some experience in farming, goldmining and school teaching before being accepted in 1869 as a minister of the Wesleyan Methodist church. He was stationed in Waikato (1869-70), in Fiji (1871-73) and thereafter in various New Zealand circuits till 1894. In 1895 he was president of the New Zealand Methodist conference and assumed control of Three Kings College, of which he was principal till 1916. He was a governor of the Theological Institution (1896-1910) and of the Auckland University College Council. Simmonds studied trees and forestry very deeply and published (1927) an important book on eucalypts in New Zealand. He died on 30 Jun 1936.

Who's Who N.Z., 1908, 1932; N.Z. Herald, 1 Jul 1936 (p); Otago Daily Times, 3 Aug 1933 (p).

Reference: Volume 2, page 154

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