Ernest Alfred Adams (23 November 1892 – 29 August 1976) was a New Zealand baker, businessman and philanthropist. He co-founded Ernest Adams Limited.

Biography

Born in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England, Adams was educated at Devon County School. In 1909 he went to work for his father Herbert John Adams a master baker. In 1912, after declaring bankruptcy, Adams's family emigrated to

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia. In 1915 he opened his own bakery in

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

, Victoria. In 1921, after the death of his wife Mary Florinda Larson during childbirth, Adams moved 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 / ...

where he had met Hugh Bruce, an elderly baker looking to sell his business. Adams and Bruce set up a partnership under the name "Adams Bruce Ltd." By 1929 the company expanded and opened new bakeries in

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

and

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

. Following Bruce's retirement, the company started to trade under the name "Ernest Adams Ltd." and soon became the largest bakery in the South Island. From 1953 to 1956 he was a member of the

Christchurch City Council The Christchurch City Council is the local government authority for Christchurch in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority elected to represent the people of Christchurch. Since October 2022, the Mayor of Christchurch is Phil Mauger, who ...

Honours

In the 1962 Queen's Birthday Honours, Adams was appointed an

Officer 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 services to the community, especially in social welfare work.

References

1892 births 1976 deaths 20th-century New Zealand businesspeople New Zealand philanthropists British emigrants to Australia Australian emigrants to New Zealand Bakers People from Wellington, Somerset New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire 20th-century philanthropists Christchurch City Councillors {{NewZealand-business-bio-stub