Cobbe was born in King's County, Ireland, in 1859. He received his education in Tullamore and Dublin, and arrived in New Zealand in 1886.[1] He was first employed in Auckland by Smith & Caughey, and then moved to Feilding to run a general store. In 1941, he became a sheep farmer in the Waihapi Valley north of the Whanganui River.[1]
He held a large number of public offices. He was the first chairman of the Feilding Chamber of Commerce. He was chairman of directors of the Feilding Farmers' Freezing Company. From 1911 to 1929, he represented Manawatu on the Wellington Harbour Board. For a time, he was the chairman of the Harbour Boards' Association of New Zealand.[5]
Cobbe married Frances Amelia Elders, the daughter of Richard Elders of Phillipstown, Feilding.[7] They had three sons, Ernest, Maurice, Richard, and one daughter.[8] One son, Ernest Cobbe, died in action in Ypres, Belgium, in 1917;[9] son, Maurice Cobbe, survived the war.[10] His wife died during the 1935 election campaign on 24 November 1935.[7] In December 1944, age 85, he died at a private hospital in Palmerston North and was buried in Feilding.[1][8] Three great-great-grandchildren, Jon, Peter and Dann Hume were raised in Feilding where they formed a rock group, Evermore in 1999.[11][12]: 1
Carr, Clyde (1936), Politicalities, Wellington, [N.Z.]: National Magazines, pp. 59–61
Gibson, Tracey A. (1936), The purchase and settlement of the Manchester Block: an account of the development of the Feilding district, New Zealand, Feilding, [N.Z.]: Fisher Printing
Gibson, Tracey A. (1983), The purchase and settlement of the Manchester Block: an account of the development of the Feilding district, New Zealand, Christchurch, [N.Z.]: Capper
This is a facsimile (i.e. reprint) edition of the original work noted above.
Gibson, Tracey A. (2006), The purchase and settlement of the Manchester Block: an account of the development of the Feilding district, New Zealand, Christchurch, [N.Z.]: Kiwi Publications, ISBN1-86964-224-4
The three editions of the above work are noted for the sake of completeness. Cobbe was the local MP for the area in 1936, and contributed a foreword for the book.
Nelson, Olaf F. (1930), A candid communication: Hon. Mr. Cobbe's speech on Samoa, Auckland, [N.Z.]: National Printing Co.
This is a letter from the author to Cobbe, who was Minister of Justice at the time. It is reprinted from the New Zealand Samoa Guardian of 13 November 1930 (n.p.).
Part 1: Cammick, Murray (20 February 2017). "Evermore Part 1 – Article". AudioCulture. Archived from the original on 23 January 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
Part 2: Cammick, Murray (20 February 2017). "Evermore Part 2 – Article". AudioCulture. Archived from the original on 7 December 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
