Mr. Thomas Horton was Mayor of Blenheim from 1894 to 1897, and he also served several terms as a councillor. He was born in York, England, and came to New Zealand in 1860. In the service of the Bank of New South Wales, Mr. Horton opened and managed branches of the bank on the Otago goldfields. Subsequently, he went to Victoria, Australia, where he engaged in mining for two years, and returned to New Zealand at the time of the West Coast “rush.” Mr. Horton became treasurer of the Westland Provincial Council, a position which he held for three years. He subsequently went to Fiji, where he opened the first bank established in the colony; and during his stav there he became a member of the Legislative Council, and held office as Colonial Treasurer. Mr. Horton returned to New Zealand in September, 1876, and has since been engaged in business in Blenheim.