LEARY, RICHARD HENRY (1840-95) was born at Southall, Middlesex, and educated at an elementary private school in London. In 1854 he emigrated to Victoria, where he spent some years on the gold diggings, in the bush and in merchants' offices in Ballarat and Melbourne. For a while he represented his firm in Geelong. In Sep 1861 he came to Otago, spent a few months on the goldfields and then became manager for R. Wilson and Co. in Dunedin. In 1865 he moved to Hokitika, but a few years later was back in Dunedin as accountant to Driver, McLean and Co. On the dissolution of that firm (1871) he started in business as a public accountant and estate agent, and for some years was also provincial trustee in bankruptcy. In 1878 he entered into partnership with Horace Bastings, as Bastings, Leary and Co., auctioneers and agents, afterwards continuing on his own account. He formed the accountants' institute.

Leary was a member of the Dunedin City Council (1875). In 1877 he was elected mayor, but resigned a few months later when the Council refused to support him in a contest with the town clerk on the method of keeping the city accounts. He was re-elected on that occasion and again in 1886. In the latter term of office the foundation stone of the town hall was laid and the Silverstream water supply was adopted. In 1890 Leary contested the Dunedin City seat in Parliament (without success). He was a member of the first parliamentary union in Dunedin, and speaker when it was revived in 1893. For some time he was secretary of the Otago Central Railway league. He was manager of the Otago Guardian and from the formation of the Otago Daily Times Co. in 1878 he was a director. His death occurred on 16 May 1895 while he was in London as agent for the raising of a Dunedin city loan.

Otago Daily Times, 11 Jun 1895.

Reference: Volume 1, page 262

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