BARRON, WILLIAM (1837-1916) was born at St Andrews, Scotland, and educated in the parish and Free Church schools at Whitburn, Kirkliston and Lennie Moor. He was trained for commercial life in Edinburgh. He arrived in Otago in 1861 by the Lady Egidia, and spent the next 18 months mining and storekeeping on the goldfields. He then went into business in Dunedin, being senior partner first in Barron and Campbell and afterwards in Barron, Grant and Co., merchants and runholders. He retired in 1874, paid a visit to Great Britain, and on his return settled in Caversham. He was a member of the City Council in 1874, and five years later entered Parliament for Caversham, which he represented 1879-90, being unopposed on two occasions. Barron was a consistent Liberal and freetrader and took the initiative in many reforms of the eighties and nineties. He fought for several years to extend the hours of polling to enable the working class to register their votes; he promoted legislation to protect wages in cases of bankruptcy, and advocated the abolition of plural voting and the reduction of the number of members of Parliament. He also carried through drastic amendments of the patent law, cheapening the costs to patentees and simplifying the procedure. In Parliament he strenuously opposed heavy borrowing. Barron was a leading advocate of the Otago Central railway and chairman of the executive of the league. He was a prominent freemason. He married (1870) Mary, daughter of Robert Banks (Puerua). He died on 16 Jun 1916.

Who's Who N.Z., 1909; Cycl. NZ, iv; Otago Daily Times, 17 Jun 1916.

Reference: Volume 1, page 38

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