Joseph Firth

Joseph "Pentland" Firth CMG (25 March 1859 – 13 April 1931) was a New Zealand educationalist and teacher. Known as The Boss, he was the headmaster of Wellington College from 1892 to 1920. He was born and died in Wellington.

Education and teaching career

Firth was a pupil at Nelson College from 1873 to 1875. He taught there as a pupil-teacher until 1881, when he went to Wellington College as a junior master. In 1886 he took up a post at Christ's College, Christchurch, and began studying for his BA at Canterbury College, Christchurch. He married in 1889, and was asked to become headmaster of Wellington College in 1892.

Among the boys at Wellington College he gained the nickname "Pentland" from his teaching about the troubles the Spanish Armada encountered around Pentland Firth in the north of Scotland. Thereafter he signed his name "J.P. Firth".

Sporting career

He was the representative from New Zealand on the International Olympic Committee from 1923 to 1927; his appointment by the IOC was delayed as he was quoted in a local newspaper that he was the delegate from New Zealand before he went (representatives are appointed by the IOC itself, not by the National Olympic committee).