William John Alexander Montgomery (c. 1821 – 21 December 1914) was a New Zealand politician and merchant from Little River on Banks Peninsula.

[1] Montgomery sailed to Williamstown, Victoria, these days a suburb of Melbourne, Australia, in 1850[3] or 1851,[1] and joined the gold rush.

After a short period of digging, he set himself up as a merchant and earned enough money to be able to buy a sheep station on the Darling Downs.

[4] He bought the wharf in Heathcote and imported timber from the bays on Banks Peninsula for the Christchurch market.

[4] Montgomery was one of the men from a Victorian era who did not marry until they were in their middle-age, and the eventual bride would be many years their junior.

[4] In 1873, he again contested the Heathcote seat on the Provincial Council,[7] to fill the vacancy left by Andrew Duncan.

[1] Following the resignation of Robert Heaton Rhodes from his Akaroa seat in the New Zealand Parliament, Montgomery contested the 20 April 1874 by-election against Walter Pilliet.

He unselfishly stood aside when Stout needed to give ministries to Auckland members to continue in power.

[1] Montgomery was recognised as the leader of the Young New Zealand Party, a reformist and left-leaning faction in Parliament which was supported by small businessmen, small farmers, and the Labour movement (particularly miners), and which grew into the Liberal Party.

[2] The couple are buried at the Barbadoes Street Cemetery in the central city of Christchurch, together with those of their children who died young.

[23] It contains a tōtara estimated to be 2000 years old, with a girth of 8.5 m.[24] Montgomery Spur is located in the Port Hills between Rapaki Track and the Avoca Valley.