HARPER, SIR GEORGE (1843-1937) was born at Stratfield Mortimer, England, the son of Bishop Harper (1804-93), and educated at Radley and Eton Colleges. He came to New Zealand with his parents in 1858, and returning to England in 1866 (after three years at Christ's College and four years on stations at Malvern and Avoca) he was called at the Inner Temple in 1869. He joined the Northern Circuit, held a few briefs at Manchester and returned to New Zealand in 1870 and commenced to practise. In 1880 he became a partner in Hanmer and Harper. He had a sound knowledge of local body law and also appeared in several celebrated cases, including those of the 'severed hand' and the yacht Ariadne. He was president of the Canterbury Law Society (1910-11), of the Christchurch Club, captain of the Christ's College rifle volunteers and founder of the Citizens' Defence Corps (1914-18); a governor of Christ's College from 1900, and later subwarden, a member of the McLean Institute, and chairman of the Christchurch domains board. He received the O.B.E. in 1918 and was knighted a few weeks before his death (on 12 Mar 1937). Harper married (1871) Agnes, daughter of Judge Loughnan. In 1864 he explored the passes to find a route for sheep to Westland and drove 500 from Lake Coleridge to Hokitika by way of Browning's Pass and the Styx Saddle.

Christ's Coll. List (p); N.Z. Law Jour. 16 Mar 1937 (p); Who's Who N.Z., 1924, 1932; J. D. Pascoe (information); The Press and Star-Sun, 12, 13 Mar 1937.

Reference: Volume 1, page 197

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