James Craigie (7 September 1851 – 17 August 1935) was Member of Parliament for the electorate in the South Island of New Zealand and a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council. He was also Chairman of the South Canterbury Health Board, Chairman of the Timaru Harbour Board, a Timaru Borough Councillor and Mayor of Timaru. Early life Craigie was born in Coupar Angus, Perthshire, Scotland, on 7 September 1851. He came to New Zealand in 1867 with his parents, James and Agnes Craigie (née McFarlane). Craigie and his family landed in Dunedin, where he remained for several years after completing an apprenticeship as a painter and decorator. Craigie married Catherine Orr from County Donegal, Ireland and they had six daughters and one son. Move to Timaru Craigie moved to Timaru in 1873 where he started a glass and house decoration business. He also opened a large home decoration shop in Cains Terrace, Timaru. He subsequently merged his business with a Dunedin firm and it became known as Smith & Craigie. The merged business would ultimately become part of Smith & Smith, a company which continues to operate throughout New Zealand. As his business success grew, Craigie purchased a large farm in Kingsdown, about 5 km south of Timaru, where he built a substantial house, Craigielea. Craigielea was subsequently destroyed by fire. Craigie served on the South Canterbury Health Board for nine years, serving the last several years as Chairman. He also served as Chairman of the Timaru Harbour Board for four years during which time significant progress was made in the development of the Port of Timaru. Election to the Timaru Borough Council Craigie was elected to the Timaru Borough Council in 1901. Mayor of Timaru Craigie was Mayor of Timaru for ten years from 1902 to 1913. Member of Parliament James Craigie represented the electorate in the New Zealand House of Representatives for 14 years from to 1922. Independent Liberal In the 1919 election, Craigie broke from the Liberal Party and stood as an Independent Liberal or Progressive Liberal. After retiring as a Member of Parliament Craigie was appointed to the Legislative Council on 1 June 1923. He served for one term until 31 May 1930 and was not re-appointed. In 1935, Craigie was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal. Admirer of Robert Burns Craigie was an enthusiastic admirer of Robert Burns and was at one-time