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John Graham (12 January 1843 – 8 February 1926) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for Nelson in the South Island.Graham was born in Nelson in 1843, the eldest son of one of the earliest settlers of the region.[1]John Graham represented the Nelson electorate in the House of Representatives for 18 years from 1893 to 1911, when he retired.[1][2]The 1893 general election was contested by four candidates in Nelson: Graham (1289 votes), Richmond Hursthouse (1011 votes), John Kerr (910 votes) and William Lock (74 votes).[3] The 1896 general election was contested by Graham and Jesse Piper, who received 2061 and 1718 votes, respectively. Graham was thus elected with a majority of 343 votes.[4]In 1894, Graham successfully opposed the Midland Railway Bill insofar as it proposed to abandon the obligations of the company to provide a railway to Nelson.[5]As Chairman of the Banking Enquiry Committee of 1896, John Graham frequently came into conflict with the Premier Richard Seddon, the Minister of Lands, John McKenzie, and George Hutchison[6]Graham was for some years chairman of the Town Schools' Committee.[1] He was the first chairman of the Nelson Harbour Board and held that position for twelve years.[7] He served on the Nelson Education Board, the Board of Governors of Nelson College (1894) and Council of Victoria College in Wellington (1899–1912). He was also a member of the Nelson City Council.[8]Graham died in Feilding on 8 February 1926, after having lived in Nelson for practically all of his life.[1]