Joseph Tole

Who was Joseph Tole?

Joseph Augustus Tole KC was a 19th-century New Zealand politician, and Minister of Justice from 1884 to 1887.

He was born in 1846 in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England. He came to Auckland with his parents, John Tole and Margaret O'Halloran. He attended St Peter's School under the guidance of his teacher, Richard O'Sullivan. From St Peter's School, he knew John Sheehan.

He married Eleanor Blanche Mary Lewis in Auckland on 4 November 1882.

He represented the Auckland electorate of Eden from 1876 general election until 1887, when he contested the Newton electorate. The two other candidates were Edward Withy and Henry Thomas Garrett. Tole and Garrett were liberal politicians, whilst Withy was a conservative. The liberal vote was split, and Tole, Withy and Garrett received 606, 701 and 170 votes, respectively, with Withy thus elected.

In 1893, he became Crown Prosecutor at Auckland and remained in that role until his death. He became a Queen's Counsel in 1907. His death on 13 December 1920 came suddenly.