Edmund Giblett Allen (1844–1909) was a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

Member of Parliament in New Zealand. He was elected to the

Waikouaiti Waikouaiti is a small town in East Otago, New Zealand, within the city limits of Dunedin. The town is close to the coast and the mouth of the Waikouaiti River. Today, Waikouaiti is a retail trade and servicing centre for the surrounding district ...

electorate in

1896 Events January–March * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that Wil ...

, which he represented to 1902. In

1902 Events January * January 1 ** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world's f ...

he was elected for the Chalmers electorate, which he represented until he was defeated in

1908 Events January * January 1 – The British ''Nimrod'' Expedition led by Ernest Shackleton sets sail from New Zealand on the ''Nimrod'' for Antarctica. * January 3 – A total solar eclipse is visible in the Pacific Ocean, and is the 46 ...

. One newspaper described him as sensible and moderate. His sister's wedding notice and his obituaries said he was from

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, but he was said to be a

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

lad when he entered Parliament. On 29 March 1844 an Edmund Allen was born in

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

. Another was

baptised Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost inv ...

in the

Shepton Mallet Shepton Mallet is a market town and civil parish in the Mendip District of Somerset, England, some south-west of Bath, south of Bristol and east of Wells. It had an estimated population of 10,810 in 2019. Mendip District Council is based t ...

t district, at

Milton Clevedon Milton Clevedon is a village and civil parish south of Evercreech in the Mendip District, Mendip district of Somerset, England. History The name of the village means the middle settlement, possibly because it is halfway between Evercreech and ...

, on 1 September 1844. He probably moved to

Swansea Swansea (; cy, Abertawe ) is a coastal city and the second-largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Swansea ( cy, links=no, Dinas a Sir Abertawe). The city is the twenty-fifth largest in ...

, in Tasmania when he was ten and to

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

in 1863, where he was working as a contractor by 1871. He assisted with building the

Hutt Valley Line The Hutt Valley Line is the electrified train service operated by Transdev Wellington on behalf of Metlink on the section of the Wairarapa Line railway between Wellington and Upper Hutt, New Zealand. History Construction The Hutt Valley lin ...

in 1873, and then, in partnership with Samuel Kingstreet, built the

Waipukurau Waipukurau is the largest town in the Central Hawke's Bay District on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on the banks of the Tukituki River, 7 kilometres south of Waipawa and 50 kilometres southwest of Hastings. H ...

Takapau Takapau is a small rural community in the Central Hawkes Bay in New Zealand. It is located 20 kilometres west of Waipukurau, off State Highway 2, and has a population of more than 500. The original township was founded in 1876 by farmer Sydney ...

railway from 1874. They left Wellington in 1875 and moved to

Port Chalmers Port Chalmers is a town serving as the main port of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. Port Chalmers lies ten kilometres inside Otago Harbour, some 15 kilometres northeast of Dunedin's city centre. History Early Māori settlement The origi ...

, where they built the

Main South Line The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railway line that runs north and south from Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the South Island to Inverca ...

section between Sawyer's Bay and

Deborah Bay Port Chalmers is a town serving as the main port of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. Port Chalmers lies ten kilometres inside Otago Harbour, some 15 kilometres northeast of Dunedin's city centre. History Early Māori settlement The origi ...

tunnel. Since the completion of that contract Mr Allen has owned a Port Chalmers quarry and farm near

Dunback Dunback, formerly Waihemo, is a small town in the Otago region of New Zealand. It is located between Palmerston and Ranfurly on Highway 85. It has a population of about 200 people. Most of these people live in the rural areas near the town. ...

. He became a member of Port Chalmers Licensing Committee in 1882 and Mayor of Port Chalmers from 1884 to 1893, when he stood for Chalmers, but was defeated by John A. Millar. He was re-elected as mayor in 1895. In 1896 he was elected by a large majority for Waikouaiti. He was chairman of Otago Dock Trust, on Otago Harbour Board from 1888 and chairman of Port Chalmers District High School Committee. He married Annie Reid on 21 October 1872. Annie died on 29 December 1907, aged 62. They had 3 sons and 2 daughters - * Sydney Chalmers Allen (5 September 1877 - 10 June 1960), became a doctor in

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

. * Katie Annie was 3 years old, when she died on the same day Sydney was born. * D. V. Allen, director of Zeehan School of Mines, Tasmania. * H. K Allen, mining engineer, in South Africa. * Ivy Ziele (born 1 March 1883) of Napier. He had been in poor health for a year, when he died. He was buried at Port Chalmers Cemetery. Allen St, Northeast Valley, Dunedin was named after him. A plaque in Port Chalmers marks his part in opening the Otago Dock.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Edmund 1844 births 1909 deaths New Zealand Liberal Party MPs New Zealand MPs for Dunedin electorates Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Unsuccessful candidates in the 1908 New Zealand general election 19th-century New Zealand politicians