James Dupré Lance

James Dupré Lance (28 January 1829 – 28 March 1897) was a 19th-century Member of Parliament from Canterbury, New Zealand.

Biography

Lance was born in Boulogne, France. He first came to New Zealand in 1856 to visit his brothers.

He contested the 1866 election for the superintendency of the Canterbury Provincial Council against William Sefton Moorhouse representing the runholders; he came a distant second. He represented the Cheviot electorate from to 1890.

He was a supporter of the Stout–Vogel government. After the government was defeated, it was left leaderless as Sir Robert Stout lost his seat and Sir Julius Vogel retired from parliament in 1888. Opposition MPs were in Parliament were in limbo. To address this, the opposition held a caucus to address the question of leadership. It resulted not to elect a new leader, but instead it decided on collective leadership, and elected a committee to co-ordinate its parliamentary operation. It consisted of Lance, John Ballance, John McKenzie, Oliver Samuel, Richard Seddon, William Steward and Frederick Moss as well as the two opposition whips; William Campbell Walker and Frederick Fitchett. Lance was elected as the leadership committee's chairman. By July 1889, Ballance had been elected as a permanent Leader of the Opposition, and Lance left the role of leadership committee chairman in favour of Ballance.