Mary Jane Innes

Mary Jane Innes (née Lewis, 18 April 1852 – 14 November 1941) was a Welsh-born New Zealand brewery manager.

Early life Mary Jane Lewis was born on a farm in Llanvaches, Monmouthshire, Wales on 18 April 1852. Her parents were Thomas Lewis and Hannah Morgan Lewis. She immigrated to New Zealand with her older brother and sister in 1870, after their parents died.

Career Mary Jane Innes owned and operated Te Awamutu Brewery from 1877 (with her husband), and Waikato Breweries from 1889. In widowhood she launched the successful C. L. Innes and Company, in partnership with her eldest son Charles Lewis Innes. Her grandson Harold Innes was senior director of Innes Industries in 1961, when they merged with another company to create Oasis Group.

Personal life and legacy Mary Jane Lewis married Scotsman Charles Innes in Auckland in 1874. They had ten children together. She was widowed in 1899. Mary Jane Innes died in Auckland in 1941, age 89. Her remains were buried in Hamilton East Cemetery.

Objects and papers belonging to Innes and her family are part of the collection in the Waikato Museum.