Andrew Henson Allen (23 December 1876 – 6 August 1963) was a New Zealand businessman and politician. He served as

mayor of Dunedin The Mayor of Dunedin is the head of the local government, the city council of Dunedin, New Zealand. The Mayor's role is "to provide leadership to the other elected members of the territorial authority, be a leader in the community and perform c ...

from 1938 to 1944, and was briefly a member of the Legislative Council.

Biography

Born in the Dunedin suburb of Caversham on 23 December 1876, Allen was the son of John Allen, originally from

Woodbridge Woodbridge may refer to: Places Australia *Woodbridge, Western Australia formerly called ''West Midland'' *Woodbridge, Tasmania Canada *Woodbridge, Ontario England *Woodbridge, Suffolk, the location of ** Woodbridge (UK Parliament constituency ...

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

, England, who arrived in New Zealand in 1867, and his wife Ellen Allen (née Godso), originally from

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

, England. He was educated in Caversham, and then worked for

Hallenstein Brothers Hallensteins Glassons is a New Zealand fashion company based in Auckland, with stores in New Zealand and Australia. Brands Hallensteins Brothers Hallenstein Brothers (often shortened to Hallensteins) is a men's fashion, street and lifestyle ret ...

for 10 years before joining his father in business as a partner in John Allan and Son. The firm of wholesale merchants and manufacturers' agents became a limited liability company—Allen, Son, and McClure Limited—in 1907, and Allen succeeded his father as managing director in 1912. On 13 January 1904, Allen married Etta Elaine Peacock at St Matthew's Church, Dunedin, and the couple went on to have two children. Allen served two terms as

, from 1938 to 1944. In the 1938 mayoral election, he defeated the incumbent,

Edwin Thoms Cox Edwin Thoms (or Thomas) Cox (9 January 1881 – 18 December 1967) was a New Zealand politician and Mayor of Dunedin. He was Dunedin's first Labour mayor. He had been a Methodist minister. Biography He was born in Marton, and was educated at Pr ...

, by 17,929 to 13,891 votes. In the 1941 mayoral election, he defended a challenge by

Gervan McMillan David Gervan McMillan (26 February 1904 – 20 February 1951) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party, and a medical practitioner. Biography McMillan was born in 1904 in New Plymouth, the eldest child of Annie Gertrude Pearce and ...

by 13,711 to 12,580 votes. Outside of local politics, Allen was active in the commercial, civic and sporting life of Dunedin. He served as president of the Otago Importers and Shippers' Association, the Dunedin Chamber of Commerce, and the Otago Art Gallery Society. He also served on the board of governors of

St Hilda's Collegiate School Saint Hilda's Collegiate School is a secondary school for girls in Dunedin, New Zealand. History Founded as an Anglican school in 1896 by the first bishop of Dunedin, Bishop Samuel Nevill and staffed by the Sisters of the Church. The sisters wi ...

, the synod and standing committee of the

Anglican Diocese of Dunedin The Diocese of Dunedin is one of the thirteen dioceses and ''hui amorangi'' (Māori bishoprics) of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia. The diocese covers the same area as the provinces of Otago and Southland in the South Is ...

, and the Dunedin Diocesan Trust Board, and was a

justice of the peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

. His pastimes included

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

, fishing and

bowls Bowls, also known as lawn bowls or lawn bowling, is a sport in which the objective is to roll biased balls so that they stop close to a smaller ball called a "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a bowling green, which may be flat (for "flat-gre ...

, and he served as president of the St Kilda Bowling Club, the Otago Aero Club, and the Otago Cricket Association. Allen was a

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, and was a member of Lodge Otago Kilwinning, No. 143. In the

1946 New Year Honours The 1946 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth Realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and to celebrate the passing of 1945 and the beginnin ...

, Allen was appointed 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 ...

, for patriotic, and social-welfare services during his period of office as mayor. Allen was appointed a member of the Legislative Council on 22 June 1950. He was appointed as a member of the suicide squad nominated by the

First National Government The Anniversary of the First National Government ( es, Primer gobierno patrio) is a public holiday of Argentina, commemorating the May Revolution and the creation of the Primera Junta on May 25, 1810, which is considered the first patriotic govern ...

in 1950 to vote for the abolition of the Council. Most of the new members (like Allen) were appointed on 22 June 1950, and served until 31 December 1950 when the Council was abolished. Allen died in Dunedin on 6 August 1963.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Andrew 1876 births 1963 deaths New Zealand people of English descent New Zealand businesspeople Mayors of Dunedin New Zealand justices of the peace New Zealand Freemasons New Zealand sports executives and administrators Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council New Zealand National Party MLCs New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire