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Horatio Hartley (1826–1903) was an American Gold prospecting who participated in the Otago gold rush in New Zealand in the 1860s.
In 1862, Hartley discovered gold near Clutha River with Christopher Reilly. The location was proclaimed as the Dunstan goldfield on 23 September 1862.
The winter of 1862 was exceptionally severe and resulted in unseasonably low-levels of the Clutha River. Hartley and Reilly worked the sides of the Cromwell Gorge for three months until they were forced to take the huge hoard of gold they had secretly amassed to the Chief Gold Receiver in Dunedin in August 1862. Hartley and Reilly's discovery caused great excitement as they deposited some 87 lb (1,044 t oz) of gold, sparking a gold rush to what would become known as Hartley's Beach. Hartley and Reilly, in divulging the location of their rich finds (approximately one mile downstream of the confluence with the Kawarau River), were rewarded with £2000 from the Otago Provincial Government. On 23 September 1862 the Dunstan goldfield was proclaimed, the selection of this name in preference to Hartley's being largely in deference to Reilly, who was 'jealous of the pre-eminence' accorded Hartley as the discoverer.
Immediately after the discovery, Hartley announced his intention to visit the Coromandel goldfields. Hartley assessed (and purchased into several claims) in the Coromandel goldfields on behalf of Otago miners, expressing that he had never seen anything better in quartz countries. Returning to Dunedin in February 1863, he would leave again on 18 March from Queenstown for the West Coast via the Dart River. On reaching the Awarau River, he was forced to turn back due to a shortage of provisions.
Hartley returned to the United States and married Mary Ann Griffin (born 1828 in Vermont) in 1869, the couple settling in Olympia, Washington. Not forgetting his success in Central Otago thirty years prior, Hartley wrote to the Otago Daily Times in December 1893 requesting a subscription to the Otago Witness:
Hartley's gold prospecting had earned him some considerable wealth and he subsequently owned a significant amount of property in Olympia, including a large ranch, but he would eventually become known as an eccentric.
In failing health for some time, Horatio Hartley died on 21 January 1903 in Gull Harbor, Washington. He was buried in the Odd Fellows Memorial Park in Thurston County near Olympia. Though his wife survived him, having no children, Hartley bequeathed the majority of his estate (US$30,000) to the Olympia School District and just US$2000 plus US$600 a year to Mary Ann, so long as she did not remarry.
Mary Ann died on 6 February 1915 and was buried alongside him.
Horatio Hartley and Christopher Reilly are remembered on a plaque () in the Cromwell Gorge which was installed by the Otago Goldfields Heritage Trust. The plaque overlooks Hartley's Beach (now submerged beneath Lake Dunstan) and reads:
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