Background
Williamson was born in Belfast, Ireland, probably in 1814.
Williamson was born in Belfast, Ireland, probably in 1814.
James Williamson started going to sea at a young age on his father"s ships. He went to the Bay of Islands in 1840 and settled in Russell, New Zealand. He represented the Auckland West electorate from 1862 to 1867, when he resigned.
He was then appointed to the Legislative Council, from 1870 to 1888 when he died.
In 1877 he built the Pah Homestead (or The Pah) a historic stately home on Pah Farm a 313-acre estate located in the Auckland suburb of Hillsborough. He became insolvent during the fall of value of rural land in the 1880s, and his was the most spectacular failure of the successful Auckland businessmen.