NATHAN, DAVID

NATHAN, DAVID (1816–1886), pioneer New Zealand businessman and communal leader. Nathan arrived in Kororareka from London in 1840, trading as storekeeper. In 1841 he married Rosetta Aarons in New Zealand's first Jewish marriage. He opened a store in Auckland when it became the capital and bought 2,500 acres of land in the adjoining Manurewa. Nathan served on the Auckland City Council and on many local bodies. He went into auctioneering and established New Zealand's oldest and most diversified wholesale business. Sabbath and holiday services were held at his warehouse for over a decade. He served four terms as president of the Auckland Hebrew Congregation. Through his leadership and example he unified and conciliated all groups in the congregation. A strong force in the town's financial affairs, Nathan showed particular interest in working class welfare. His two sons L.D. and N.A. Nathan successively led the congregation after his death for almost half a century. -BIBLIOGRAPHY: L.M. Goldman, History of the Jews in New Zealand (1958), index. ADD. BIBLIOGRAPHY: J.C. Mogford, "David Nathan," in: The Dictionary of New Zealand Biography; L.D. Nathan, As Old as Auckland: A History of L.D. Nathan & Co., Ltd., and of the David Nathan Family (1984), index. (Maurice S. Pitt)