KENNEDY, MARTIN (1836-1916) was born in Ireland, and emigrated to Australia in 1860.

After spending 12 months on the diggings in Victoria, he came to Otago, and with his brothers was in business in Queenstown till 1865, when he moved to the West Coast. He was a merchant in Greymouth for 20 years. Meanwhile he had been interested in goldmining, and had acquired a share in the colliery at Brunnerton (1874). The coal business absorbed the whole of his time from 1880, and he became sole proprietor of the mine and the steam colliers. In 1888 he amalgamated his interest in the Grey Valley Coal Co. and sold the ships to the Union Steamship Co.; and in 1889 he moved to Wellington and became managing director of the Staples Brewery Co. Kennedy contested the superintendency of Westland in 1874 (Bonar, 534; Kennedy, 383; J. White, 223; C. Hoos, 50). He was chairman of the Greymouth harbour board from 1885 and a member of the Westland county council. He was M.H.R. for Grey Valley (1876-78). Kennedy was a director of the Bank of New Zealand for many years, representing the shareholders from the time of the reconstruction till his death (on 25 Aug 1916). He was a strong supporter of the Roman Catholic church, and endowed the Kennedy scholarships at St Patrick's College. He was a knight of St Gregory.

N.Z.P.D., 29 Jun 1917; Cycl. N.Z., i; Who's Who N.Z., 1908; Beauchamp; N.Z. Times, 26 Aug 1916.

Reference: Volume 1, page 247

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