Background
Flesher was born on 13 August 1865 in Christchurch. She was born in Adelaide to Robert Deakin and Ellen Taylor England (née Grant).
Flesher was born on 13 August 1865 in Christchurch. She was born in Adelaide to Robert Deakin and Ellen Taylor England (née Grant).
He attended Christ"s College.
He held many public offices and was Mayor of Christchurch from 1923 to 1925. After school, he started a legal career, first at the Christchurch and Ashburton offices of Messrs Wilding and Lewis. Four years later, he joined the offices of Messrs Thomas Joynt and Acton Adams.
When that firm was dissolved, he joined the offices of Messrs Acton-Adams and Kippenberger.
In 1898, he was admitted as a solicitor. In 1899, he was admitted as a barrister and started his own legal practice at 9 Cathedral Square, Christchurch.
Their relatives East.M. Deakin (Ashburton) and Harold Edmund Flesher were the witnesses to the marriage ceremony. Flesher"s political career began in either 1891 or 1893, when he was elected onto the Richmond Ward of Christchurch City Council.
He was the mayor of the New Brighton Borough from 1915 to 1917.
From 1918 to 1920, he represented Christchurch City Council as a councillor. During that time, he chaired the By-laws and Finance Committee. From 1923 to 1925, Flesher was the elected Mayor of Christchurch.
He was once again elected councillor for Christchurch City Council in 1928 and held that post until his death.
He stood in the 1928 election in the Kaiapoi electorate for the Reform Party and was narrowly beaten by Richard Hawke of the United Party. Flesher was involved in a great number of organisations, and held important roles with many of those:
Christchurch Tramway Board (1906–1930, including chairman from 1913–1916)
Christchurch Domains Board
Waimakariri River Trust
Richmond Domain Board
Richmond School Committee
McLean’s Institute
Avon Licensing Committee
Royal Christchurch Musical Society
Red Cross
Saint John Ambulance
Canterbury Pilgrims Association
Richmond Methodist Church ("James Flesher, 4 May 1886" is written on the foundation stone)
North Canterbury Methodist Sunday School Union (including being its president)
In 1871, James Flesher’s father William (born 1837) bought a 25 acres (100,000 m2) site of the Avebury farm from Doctor John Seager Gundry for £500.
Flesher senior commissioned from architect James Glanville. The 4,289 m2 dwelling was completed in 1885, replacing an earlier house from 1873.
William Flesher died suddenly on the steamship Steamship Tarawera on a passage from Melbourne to Lyttelton, and James Flesher inherited Avebury house.
The house became the Cora Wilding Youth Hostel in 1965 and the land became a public reserve (Avebury Park). After a threat of demolition in 1997, the house was renovated. lieutenant was opened in 2002 by Prime Minister Helen Clark and serves as the Community Centre. and Avebury Park are located in Eveleyn Couzins Avenue in Richmond, Christchurch.
Flesher Avenue, off Eveleyn Couzins Avenue, is named after the Flesher family.
Both roads occupy land that was previously part of the property. Flesher died on 18 August 1930 at following a long illness.
He was buried at the Anglican cemetery of Holy Trinity Avonside.