Benjamin Robbins

Benjamin Conrad "Cockie" Robbins (1857 – 20 January 1953) was a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council from 9 March 1936 to 8 March 1943; and 9 March 1943 to 8 March 1950.[1]

Robbins was born in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, son of Capt. B. Robbins, and educated at the Yarmouth Academy.[2] He arrived in Wellington in 1874, and was a storekeeper in Hawera from 1881. In Hawera he organised a local dairy factory and the National Dairy Association. He was on various local boards; Fire Board (3 years), Hospital Board (chairman 1906-09), and the Wanganui Education Board 1897–1906.[3] His first public service was as a member of the school committee in Hawera for a good decade, where he was chairman for most of that time.[4] He was a member of the Hawera Borough Council for fifteen years and Mayor of Hawera for seven years.[5] Robbins stood in the 1893 election in the Egmont electorate and came second of three candidates.[6] He contested the Hawera electorate in the 1896 and 1905 elections. He came a close second in 1896,[7] and came third in 1905.[8]

Robbins moved to Tauranga in 1911, and was Mayor of Tauranga twice, from 1912 to 1915 and 1929 to 1933.[5] He retired from the mayoralty in 1915 and did not contest the election, which was won by Charles MacMillan over John Cuthbert Adams.[9]

Robbins stood against the incumbent, William Herries of the Reform Party, in the 1919 election in the Tauranga electorate and was beaten with a margin of over 30% of the vote.[10] He initially declared himself an Independent Progressive Liberal but received the endorsement of Joseph Ward and was the official candidate of the Liberal Party.[11]

He was appointed to the Legislative Council by the First Labour Government. He died in January 1953 aged 96 and is buried at the Presbyterian Cemetery on 18th Avenue in Tauranga.[12]

He married in 1877 Jane Anne Ross (died 6 March 1950).[3]