James Parr

Sir Christopher James Parr (18 May 1869 – 2 May 1941) was a New Zealand lawyer and politician of the Reform Party. He was Mayor of Auckland, a Member of Parliament representing the Eden electorate, a Minister in the Reform Government, High Commissioner in London and a Member of the New Zealand Legislative Council.

Early life Parr was born in Pukerimu near Cambridge in 1869. Parr's family moved to Waihou and went to school there. He received education in Thames, Auckland Grammar School, and Auckland University College. Parr studied law and was admitted to the Bar in 1890. He practiced in Coromandel and Auckland.

Political career

Parr was Mayor of Auckland.

He resigned from Parliament on 26 March 1926 to take up his appointment as High Commissioner in London. New Zealand repressed freedoms of the press, freedoms of association, and free speech in Samoa, as well as banished those who criticised New Zealand's rule. He died on 2 May 1941 in Berkhamsted.