Mann, James Alexander, 1836-1923 (Person)

Born in London of prominent Scottish parents, James Mann arrived in New Zealand in 1881.  Coming to Tauranga, he founded and carried on, for more than a quarter of a century, the well-known business of Mann and Co., as direct importers and wholesale and retail storekeepers, at the bonded stores, No. 1 The Strand, later owned by Messrs Guinness Bros.

Mann was well educated in London and worked his way up to become a well-travelled and experienced businessman.  He became somewhat of an authority on the cultivation of cocoa and cotton from his extensive time spent in the West Indies and South America. 

Mann was a Fellow of learned societies in London, such as the Royal Geographical, the "Statistical," and the "Royal Asiatic."

Mann spent time in Canada and became an authority on railway working and eventually joined Price Waterhouse and Co., of London, indirectly connected with New Zealand as the London auditors of the Bank of New Zealand.

After this time, in much need of a rest, Mann, with his wife and family, travelled to Halifax, Nova Scotia, then through Canada and the United States to San Francisco, eventually coming on to Auckland and selecting Tauranga for his home.

Their first home in Tauranga was "Taiparirua", built for Mann and family in Eighth Avenue, which still stands, and was later sold to Canon Goodyear.  James Mann eventually retired to "Mount View" in Cliff Road, until his death in 1923.