Andrew Greene Carnell, (April 10, 1877 – January 26, 1951) was a Canadian politician who served as mayor of St. John's,

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. Born in St. John's, Carnell received his early education at

Bishop Feild College Bishop Feild College (originally Church of England Academy; formerly Church of England College and Bishop Feild Elementary; currently Bishop Feild School), founded in 1844, is a school in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfou ...

and the Methodist College before going into his father's business as an undertaker. He married Mabel Payne in 1904. They had two sons and four daughters. His son Geoffrey later served in the Newfoundland assembly. After several failed attempts in colonial politics, he decided to enter municipal politics. In the municipal elections of 1929 for St. John's, he was elected deputy mayor. After the sitting mayor, Charles Howlett, died in 1932, Carnell became acting mayor until he was elected to the post officially by acclamation the following year. He was reelected to the position continuously until 1949. Carnell's term spanned the time under which Newfoundland was a

Crown colony A Crown colony or royal colony was a colony administered by The Crown within the British Empire. There was usually a Governor, appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the UK Government, with or without the assistance of a local Counci ...

of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

after the

Dominion The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...

government had gone bankrupt and collapsed. To many Newfoundlanders, the mayor was the voice of the people as the highest-ranking official on the island that had been elected. To the colonial government, however, the city council was an inefficient nuisance. Nevertheless, Carnell was made a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 1939. Throughout his term, Carnell's administration continued to provide relatively stable and solvent government to St. John's, leading the way in debt relief, improving the standard and affordability of housing in the city and beginning construction on Memorial Stadium, which was finished in 1955. The '

LaGuardia LaGuardia Airport is a civil airport in East Elmhurst, Queens, New York City. Covering , the facility was established in 1929 and began operating as a public airport in 1939. It is named after former New York City mayor Fiorello La Guardia. ...

of St. John's' was defeated by his deputy mayor, Harry Mews, in the 1949 election.

References

1877 births 1951 deaths Mayors of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Bishop Feild School alumni Canadian Commanders of the Order of the British Empire {{Newfoundland-mayor-stub