John Allum

Sir John Andrew Charles Allum CBE CStJ (27 January 1889 – 16 September 1972) was a New Zealand businessman and engineer, and was Mayor of Auckland City from 1941 to 1952.

Sir John Allum CBE CStJ
28th Mayor of Auckland City
In office 1941–1953
Deputy	Leonard Coakley (1941-50) Arthur Bailey (1950-52) Roy McElroy (1952-53)
Preceded by	Ernest Davis
Succeeded by	John Luxford
Personal details
Born	John Andrew Charles Allum (1889-01-27)27 January 1889 London, England
Died	16 September 1972(1972-09-16) (aged 83) Takapuna, New Zealand
Political party	Reform

Early life

Allum was born in London and educated at Goldsmiths College. On 5 March 1908, he married Annie Attwood at Lewisham, and they emigrated to New Zealand the following year. An electrical engineer, Allum founded Allum Electrical in Auckland in 1922.[1]

Political career

He was on the Auckland City Council from 1920 to 1929, and from 1938 to 1941 as deputy mayor. He was on other local bodies (Transport Board, Drainage Board, Harbour Bridge Authority etc.) and associations, e.g. the New Zealand Employers Federation of which he was twice president and cultural organisations for ballet and opera. He was mayor of Auckland from 1941.[1] As chair of the Drainage Board, he was vehemently opposed by Dove-Myer Robinson over a sewerage scheme on Browns Island.[2] He lost the 1953 mayoral election and was the first incumbent in Auckland that century who unsuccessfully stood for re-election.[1]

Allum is known as the person who championed the Auckland Harbour Bridge, sometimes referred to as Jack Allum's Bridge. He became the inaugural chairman of the Auckland Harbour Bridge Authority in 1950 and only relinquished this role in 1971 at the age of 82.[1]

He contested the 1931 election in the Auckland West electorate for the Reform Party. That year, there was a coalition between the Reform and United Parties, and both Allum and Hugh Ross Mackenzie for United claimed to be the official coalition candidate.[3][4] In the end, Mackenzie was the official candidate, and Allum came third, with the electorate being won by the Prime Minister, Michael Joseph Savage.[5]

Honours

In 1935, Allum was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.[6] He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for patriotic and social welfare services in the 1946 New Year Honours,[7] and a Knight Bachelor in the 1950 King's Birthday Honours.[8] In 1950 he was also appointed a Commander of the Order of St John.[9]

In the 1946 New Year Honours, Annie Allum was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire, for services in connection with women's patriotic activities.[10]

Death

Allum died in Takapuna on 16 September 1972,[1] and his body was cremated at Purewa Crematorium.[11]

References

1. Bush, Graham W. A. "Allum, John Andrew Charles". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 8 July 2017.
2. "The 'crank' who saved our beaches". Western Leader. 3 June 2013. Retrieved 7 July 2017.
3. "Status of Candidate". The New Zealand Herald. LXVIII (21035). 20 November 1931. p. 13. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
4. "Choice of Candidate". The New Zealand Herald. LXVIII (21036). 21 November 1931. p. 14. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
5. The General Election, 1931. Government Printer. 1932. p. 1. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
6. "Official jubilee medals". Evening Post. 6 May 1935. p. 4. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
7. "No. 37410". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1946. p. 159.
8. "No. 38931". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 June 1950. p. 2813.
9. "No. 38952". The London Gazette. 23 June 1950. p. 3259.
10. "No. 37410". The London Gazette (4th supplement). 28 December 1945. p. 161.
11. "Burial & cremation details". Purewa Cemetery and Crematorium. Retrieved 8 July 2017.

• Who’s Who in New Zealand, 10th edition 1971

Political offices
Preceded by Ernest Davis	Mayor of Auckland City 1941–1952	Succeeded by John Luxford