Remembering Henry Aitken

Remembering Henry Aitken

Henry Aitken was one of Oamaru’s early Mayors. He was a popular man, having been elected Mayor four times in a row. Aitken died on 6 January 1899, leaving a wife and one son to mourn his loss. Like many of Oamaru’s memorable citizens, he is buried in the Oamaru cemetery.

Henry Aitken was born at Lerwick in the Shetland Islands of Scotland in 1840. There he went to school and was bought up into the building trade. Aitken immigrated to New Zealand aboard the Lady Egidia, he arrived in Dunedin in 1861. Not long after arrival Aitken married Betsy Williamson who was also from the Shetland Islands. He initially found store work in Dunedin with a company called Messrs Cargill and Anderson but in the following year moved north to Oamaru.

Shortly after Aitken arrived in Oamaru he headed toward the Lindis Pass to investigate the discovery of gold in the region. When he returned he took a position as storeman with merchants, Dalgety, Rattray and Co, a position he remained in for a number of years. He departed company with Dalgety and Co in 1868 to establish his own business as a timber merchant and commissioning agent.

Aitken’s Timber Yard was on the site of the current Forrester Gallery. His large business was successful until he closed up shop around 1883. At this point Aitken had decided to turn his secondary role as the local representative for the Union Steam Ship Company into a full time pursuit; this was due to the growth of Oamaru, including the harbour and port which enhanced the business requirements of the Union Steam Ship Company.

Henry Aitken was a borough councillor for a number of years, including four terms as Mayor; the latter term not completed as he fell ill and passed away not long after his last election. Aitken was a member of the Oamaru Harbour Board and was once the Harbour Board Chairman. He was also involved with a large number of local institutions; he was the president of the Caledonian Society and the Acclimatisation Society, the latter involved the introduction of exotic flora and fauna to the region. As a Freemason under the Scottish Constitution he successfully passed through all degrees of the order. Aitken was also a distinguished member of the Board of Governors for the Waitaki High Schools. He was associated with the Hospital Trustees, the Charitable Aid Board, the Horticultural Society and the Bowling Club.

Henry and Betsy Aitken had a number of children, however all but one passed away before their father. At the time of his death Aitken’s funeral was the largest ever seen in Oamaru; at one o’clock in the afternoon during the funeral all businesses in town closed and everyone stopped work. People from all over North Otago came to pay tribute to this popular man.

All information in this article comes from the North Otago Museum Archives.

Sources for this article:

• Roberts, W H S (1896-1906) ‘Newspaper Cuttings - Mr Henry Aitken’, North Otago Museum Archive reference, p. 50-51.
• The Cyclopedia of New Zealand, Vol. 4, Otago and Southland (1905). ‘Oamaru – Ex-Mayors’, p. 503.

Written by Shanann Carr, Curator of Archives, May 2009