John Beveridge, JP (8 August 1848 – 15 March 1916) was a New South Wales businessman, sportsman and local government politician, who served as an Alderman (1886–1891) and Mayor of Redfern (1891).

He was the son of John Beveridge, a baker and confectioner, and Jane Greig, who as assisted migrants had emigrated from Kirkcaldy, Fife, Scotland, to Sydney on 16 January 1839.

[7] In 1880 he was made a partner in the firm, and on the retirement of Griffiths became the owner, which specialised in "wholesale grocery and general merchandise" from its premises on the corner of Bridge and Young streets, Sydney.

[18] On 12 February 1891 Beveridge was elected to be mayor of the council and was instrumental in making Redfern the first suburb in Sydney to have electricity and electric street lighting, which occurred when the Council voted unanimously in 1891, following the recommendations of the improvements committee, to build its own power station in Turner Street to power the suburb.

[22][23] This movement by the council was later affirmed and protected by the Parliament of New South Wales when it passed the Borough of Redfern Electric Lighting Act 1895.

[28] Following this defeat, Beveridge returned to business, taking up a position in the Sydney office of the New York Life Insurance Company.

[31] George Reid's Free traders were successful at that election and Beveridge, in a letter to the Sydney Morning Herald, noted: "the vote of last Tuesday must inspire every thinking man in the community with the idea that the people are ripe for the establishment of a progressive policy, and I believe Mr Reid is the man for the hour.

[37] His business, meanwhile, continued to grow, opening a haberdashery in the centre of Lithgow in April 1898, and he appointed his son Percy to manage a new branch of the store in the nearby town of Wallerawang.

[66] Beveridge moved with his family to a new residence, "Violet" in Balfour Road, Kensington, and was involved in the Randwick Cricket Association and the Sydney City Bowling Club,[67][68][69] but in later years his health suffered greatly owing to "acute heart trouble", which led to his death aged 67 on 15 March 1916.

[70][71] His youngest son Lance sergeant Roy Stuart Beveridge (20th Battalion) was later killed in action following the Battle of Flers in France on 12 November 1916.