OBITUARY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13287, 20 September 1906, Page 4

OBITUARY.

DEATH OP MR. J. M. SHERA. An old and very well-known resident of '; Auckland passed-away yesterday, in the person of Mr. John McEffer Shera, at the I age of 66 years, at his residence, Araey ; | Road, : Remuera. Early in the year, Mr. Slwra. became indisposed as the result of heart trouble, and had been confined to hi room for the past month or two. Mr. Shera was born at Cootehill. County ' Cavan, Ireland, and was a eon-.of Mr. John Shera, timber and general merchant, of Cootehill. He was educated at Wesley College, .Sheffield, and learned the soft goods . trade with Messrs. Me Arthur and Co., at Londonderry. At the conclusion of his ap--be returned to his native town to manage his father's business, but in 1867, when 27 yea«; of ago, he received an offer from his old employers to visit South Australia, with power of attorney to wind up '■ :';. the Adelaide business of the firm. ' This done, he crossed over: to New Zealand and established the firm- of McArthur,' 1 Shera,' « j and C 0. ,; in .Auckland, and was managing '• . ? partner till 1877, when the partnership -wan \ dissolved. , Mr. Shera continued in the soft goods line on his own account for some I years. At the; elections of - 1890 he was elected at the head of the poll for Auckland City, being chosen to represent tl»e Liberal 'li cause on the retirement of Sir 'George Grey. Mr. Shei-a's votes totalled 2006, and Messrs. Thompson and Rees, the other two successful candidates, received 1860 and 1761, respectively. 'At that time Mr. ; Shera was a member of the firm of Groom and Co., manufacturers and warehousemen. In Parliament he was an incisive and epigramatic speaker, and was one of the greatest supporters of the principles put. forward by Sir George Grey.- He introduced an Inebriates Bill., At the next elections Mr. Shera stood as an Independent Liberal, but was defeated, and on other occasions he was an unsuccessful candidate, the last being at the last general election, when he stood for . Parnell as a pronounced Oppositionist, holding that the present Opposition party \ were the only true Liberals. Mr. Shera was a member of one of the Conciliation Boards, and a trustee of the Auckland Sav- > ings Bank. He was the first Commissioner of Education Reserves, and was captain ol the Auckland Cavalry in 1873. Latterly he had conducted a land agency and commission business at the Mercantile Chambers, Queen-street. In 1873 Mr. Shera married the eldest daughter of Colonel Bal- . neavis. and has one daughter and five sons, one of whom is Lieutenant Shera. who distinguished himself in the South African campaign. .