John Wood

John Dennistoun Wood (4 July 1829 – 23 October 1914) was an Australian politician, a member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly and, later, of the Tasmanian House of Assembly. and his wife Jane née Patterson from Edinburgh. His father came to Tasmania (then known as Van Diemen's Land) on the "Castle Forbes" in March 1822 and was among the earliest European settlers in the Bothwell district. He had twice circumnavigated the globe. Myles Patterson and his two daughters (including Jane) had arrived on the same ship. Captain Wood married Jane in 1828. Patterson's other daughter Jamima married Sir Robert Officer, making John Wood the cousin of Charles Myles Officer.

John was born at the Wood family property 'Dennistoun' near Bothwell, Tasmania, the eldest of seven children born to Patrick and Jane. which however, only held office until 29 April.

Return to Tasmania Wood returned to Bothwell to manage Dennistoun in 1898 with his wife, Frances Jane née Potts, who was born in New Norfolk and whom he had married in London in 1870. They had four sons and four daughters.

Wood held the seat of Cumberland in the Tasmanian House of Assembly from 1903 to 1909. In 1904 he was approached to become either Attorney-General or Premier, but turned the offers down. In 1903 he published a volume of poetry, he also collected a fine library which was destroyed along with the house at Dennistoun in 1909.

He died at Bothwell on 23 October 1914, and was survived by his wife who died in 1917, three of his four sons, and four daughters.