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The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Wellington Provincial District]
The Hon. John Bathgate
The Hon. John Bathgate, M.L.C. was Minister of Justice and Commissioner of Stamps in the Waterhouse-Fox and Vogel Governments, which were successively in power between the 11th of October, 1872, and the 6th of July, 1875. For a short time also he was Commissioner of Customs in the first of the three ministries. The honourable gentleman was born in Edinburgh in 1809. Educated at the Edinburgh High School and Edinburgh University he was admitted a writer in Peebles, and became Procurator Fiscal of the county for many years. He arrived in Dunedin in 1863 to take the position of general manager of the Bank of Otago. Six years after he was elected to the Provincial Council and became provincial solicitor with a seat on the Executive. Mr. Bathgate page 73 entered Parliament in 1871 as member for Dunedin City, which he represented till 1874 when he resigned. A short time afterwards he was appointed district judge in Dunedin. Subsequently Judge Bathgate obtained a year's leave of absence to visit England, where he lectured on the Colony, and used his influence to make the advantages of New Zealand known. In 1885 he was called to the Legislative Council. Mr. Bathgate wrote a book on “New Zealand: its Resources and Prospects.” He died in 1886.