HECTOR, SIR JAMES (1834-1907) was born (probably at Edinburgh), the son of Alexander Hector, a lawyer, and his second wife, Margaret McCrosty. He first attended the Edinburgh Academy (1844-45), and then for four years was a pupil at the Edinburgh High School. After three years at actuarial work, he sickened of office routine and, having matriculated (1852) he entered the University of Edinburgh, and passed the medical course (apparently as an avenue to a scientific career). He graduated M.D. in 1856. Medicine did not hold him long. To examine the possibility of establishing communication between the Pacific and the Atlantic, the British Government in 1857 sent an expedition, commanded by Captain Palliser, R.N. Hector was offered the dual post of surgeon and geologist; Blakiston was astronomer, and M. Bourgeau botanist. Assured by Sir George Simpson of the co-operation of the Hudson's Bay Company, the expedition sailed from Liverpool on 16 May 1857 in the Arabia. From New York it made for Sault Sainte Marie, travelled by the government steamer to Fort William, and reached Fort Garry (Winnipeg). Having split the party into two, Palliser, accompanied by Hector and Sullivan (secretary to the expedition), started on the longer route by Pembina and Turtle mountain to Fort Ellice, where the others were to meet him. On reaching Carlton, Palliser returned to Montreal. Hector travelled from Edmonton to Rocky Mountain House, back to Carlton, then to Fort Pitt and down the Saskatchewan river to Carlton to connect with the other members. He was able to complete plans for the coming season and to make some substantial progress with his own scientific studies. Starting again, with Nimrod and Erasmus, Hector pushed on up the Bow river, crossed over to the Beaver Fort river and, following up the Columbia, discovered the Kicking Horse Pass-the main key to the central Rockies. Thence, though impeded by scarcity of provisions and numerous accidents, he crossed the watershed, continued down the Saskatchewan, and reached Edmonton on 7 Oct. During the eight weeks since they separated Palliser had made extensive and successful discoveries to the southward, including four passes, and had removed the uncertainty concerning the northern Kootenay pass. Setting off again in May 1859, Hector was repulsed in his efforts to find a pass down the Fraser and Thompson rivers towards the Pacific. His party returned to Colville, and then swung south to follow up the Columbia river to Fort Vancouver. Financial difficulties intervening, Hector penetrated to California and northern Mexico, and towards the end of 1860 returned home by way of Panama. For his work in Canada he was made a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, of the Geological Society of London and of the Royal Geographical Society (which in 1861 awarded him its gold medal).

On the initiative of James Macandrew, approved by his successor (Major Richardson), Hector was engaged from Nov 1861 to carry out a geological survey of Otago. He landed in Dunedin on 15 Apr 1862, and during the winter made a preliminary reconnaissance of one-third of the province. To establish the truth of rumours of gold, he made an exploration up the Shag river and into the Manuherikia valley. With two field assistants he made a rapid survey of certain coal deposits, the results of their analyses forming the groundwork for his valuable Report on the Coals of Otago (1864). Hector then turned his attention to the West Coast to decide as to its fitness for settlement, the extent of its resources, and the existence of a pass into Otago. An expedition was planned under the command of J. T. Thomson, and Hector determined to make a hurried survey west of Wanaka to assist it. On 28 Oct he left Dunedin, reached the Dunstan diggings, skirted Wanaka and made his way up the Matukituki valley, returning to Dunedin by way of Lake Wakatipu. As the arrangements for the West Coast trip broke down, he determined early in 1863 to make an assault from the land side, and the Government sanctioned an expedition to discover a practicable route in that direction. Hector intended to follow up the Waitaki and Ahuriri rivers, crossing over the Lindis pass and again proceeding up the Matukituki. The party left Dunedin on 6 Jan 1863, and followed the Matukituki to its source. On 17 Feb Hector, Sullivan, and Rayer climbed the Matukituki saddle and dropped down into what is now the Waipara river. Heavy rain and lack of food placed them in some jeopardy, and within eight miles of the sea they were forced to turn back. Their position was desperate as they struggled back to their central camp in the Matukituki. They reached Dunedin on 15 Mar. The conception of an effective exploration of the West Coast was first mooted by Macandrew, and revived later by J. T. Thomson. Hector made a hurried trip to Wakatipu and up the Greenstone valley and on 15 May 1863, he and his party, without Thomson, boarded the Matilda Hayes. At Riverton Hector broke the journey to travel up the Waiau river and back by the Oreti and Aparima valley. Some Maori having been engaged, the vessel sailed for Preservation Inlet, and anchored off Milford Sound on 7 Aug. He could find no route leading from the Cleddau river across the range towards Wakatipu, so sailed towards the Awarua river and, when opposite Martin's Bay, entered the Hollyford river. Passing up this, they climbed the saddle which caps the Passburn, dropped down the Greenstone, and on 4 Oct reached Queenstown. Caples and Alabaster can claim priority in the discovery of this pass, but this did not lessen the importance of Hector's route. From Dunedin he returned to the schooner, in which he reached Port Chalmers on 6 Jan 1864. An acrimonious correspondence ensued with J. T. Thomson concerning several alterations to Hector's report.

Hector was one of the three commissioners for flax in Otago, and in 1870 he was appointed a commissioner by the New Zealand Government. His principal administrative work at this time was in connection with the Museum nucleus and the Exhibition of 1865. He was appointed a commissioner for the Exhibition in 1863, and in 1864 he was authorised to report on the preparations in the northern provinces. He completed his geological map and section of the province in Nov.

Towards the end of 1864, the Government authorised a complete geological survey of the Colony, and Weld offered Hector the position of director of this service. The exhibition successfully finished, and his term of agreement with the Otago provincial government having expired on 1 Jan 1865, he took up his new duties at Wellington in Aug. His organising ability and catholic interests soon established this work on successful foundations. In 1866 Hector was elected a corresponding member of the Geological Society of London, and later in the year an F.R.S. In 1868, he was largely instrumental in forming the New Zealand Institute (formerly the New Zealand Society). He was its first director and for 35 years edited the Transactions. In 1868 also he married Maria Georgiana, daughter of Sir David Monro.

In 1870 the Otago provincial government sued Hector for breach of contract, but a committee of the House of Representatives quashed the charge. In 1871 he became a member of the first senate of the University of New Zealand, and in 1885 was elected chancellor, a position which he held for 18 years. In 1875 he visited Europe, where he was awarded the Lyell medal and received the C.M.G. for his services in Canada. On his return through the United States, he represented New Zealand at the Centenary Exhibition at Philadelphia. In 1879 Hector was appointed executive commissioner to the Sydney Exhibition (for which he prepared his Handbook of New Zealand). While he was acting in a similar capacity a year later at Melbourne, the Victorian Government asked him to report on the coal-resources of that Colony. He was knighted for his services as commissioner at the Wellington Exhibition. In 1890 he was chairman of the royal commission on the Dunedin hospital, and later he was sent to the West Coast as a commissioner to investigate the colliery troubles.

Hector was three times president of the Australasian Association for the Advancement of Science, and was unanimously awarded the founder's medal of the Royal Geographical Society. He was a member of numerous learned societies. After this period his work diminished in importance. When the staff of the geological survey was transferred to the Mines department, he retained his nominal position as director of the geological survey until 1903, but for some years had no control over the work. He visited Canada in 1903, and died at Lower Hutt on 6 Nov 1907. Amongst Hector's separate publications are an essay on the geographical botany of New Zealand (1865), Phormium Tenax (1872) and Mineral Waters of New Zealand (1893). Lady Hector died on 3 Aug 1930.

R.I.M.B.; Otago P.C. Proc. and Gaz.; reports (1865-95) and bulletins of Geological Survey and Colonial Museum; meteorological reports (1868-85); Hector collection in Hocken Library; Royal Geog. Soc. Jour., vol xxiv; Catalogue of Col. Museum (1870); Hector, op. cit.; Cox; Gisborne; Beaglehole; Trans. N.Z. Inst.; Cycl. N.Z., i (p); Otago Daily Times, Feb-Mar, 10 Oct 1863, 9 Jun 1864; New Zealand Times, 7 Nov 1907.

Reference: Volume 1, page 205

🌳 Further sources