John Alexander (1876 – 15 July 1941) was a member of the

New Zealand Legislative Council The New Zealand Legislative Council was the upper house of the General Assembly of New Zealand between 1853 and 1951. An earlier arrangement of legislative councils for the colony and provinces existed from 1841 when New Zealand became a co ...

from 1934 to 1941 when his term ended. He was a barrister and involved in many organisations.

Early life and legal career

Alexander was born in 1876 in

Newtownards Newtownards is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles (16 km) east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. It is in the Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of Newtownard ...

, Ulster, Northern Ireland. His father was Robert Alexander of

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

. He received his education at

Methodist College Belfast God with us , established = 1865 , type = Voluntary grammar , religion = Interdenominational , principal = Jenny Lendrum , chair_label = Chairwoman , chair = Revd. Dr Janet Unsworth , founder ...

and, after he emigrated to New Zealand, at

Prince Albert College Wesley College is a secondary school in Paerata, at the northern edge of Pukekohe, Auckland Region, New Zealand. The school provides education from year 9 to 13. The school was founded by members of the Methodist Church in 1844, making it one ...

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 ...

. On 15 November 1905, he married Amy Walker, the youngest daughter of mining engineer John Watson Walker, at

Tararu Tararu is a former gold-mining village on the west coast of the Coromandel Peninsula of New Zealand. State Highway 25 runs through it; Te Puru being about to the north, and Thames about to the south. Tararu has a boat ramp, a 91-dwelling reti ...

near

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

. His wife was a cousin of

Nellie Melba Dame Nellie Melba (born Helen Porter Mitchell; 19 May 186123 February 1931) was an Australian operatic dramatic coloratura soprano (three octaves). She became one of the most famous singers of the late Victorian era and the early 20th century, ...

(their mothers were sisters), the Australian

operatic soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

based in Europe who had an international career. On her tours in New Zealand, she would stay with the Alexanders when in Auckland. The Alexanders lived at Devonport and their house burned down at the end of 1913. He was admitted to the

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

in Auckland in 1899 as a solicitor and three years later, he became a barrister. He became a notary public in 1921. He founded the legal firm Alexander, Bennett (Alfred Ferdinand Bennett), Sutherland (John Leslie Sutherland), and Warnock (Andrew Martin Warnock), which existed until 1938. From 1923 to 1925, he was the president of the Auckland Law Society.

Community service

Alexander was an official visitor at the Auckland Mental Hospital from 1920. In October 1926, he joined the Prisons Board and remained a member until shortly before his death. In the

1927 New Year Honours The New Year Honours were appointments by King George V to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of the United Kingdom and British Empire. They were announced on 31 December 1926. The recipients of honours are ...

, he was appointed a

Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

, in recognition of his services to New Zealand. He was a president and then trustee of the

Auckland Club Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about It ...

. From 1929 to 1931, he was president of the

Auckland Savings Bank Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about It ...

. At one time, he was president of the Ulster Society of Auckland. Alexander was the inaugural president of the Auckland branch of the Navy League. For the

Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron The Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron is a New Zealand yacht club, and the club behind New Zealand's America's Cup campaigns, under the guises of New Zealand Challenge and Team New Zealand. It held the America's Cup from 1995 America's Cup, 1995 ...

, he was a rear-commodore and vice-commodore. The director of

Kew Gardens Kew Gardens is a botanical garden, botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botany, botanical and mycology, mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1840, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its li ...

, Sir Arthur Hill, was in Auckland in 1932 and they visited a kauri forest owned by Alexander near Cascade Park in the Waitakere Ranges. Hill commented on the asset that such a forest represented to the city and in October 1933, Alexander gifted this property to the

City of Auckland Auckland City was a territorial authority with city status covering the central isthmus of the urban area of Auckland, New Zealand. It was governed by the Auckland City Council from 1989 to 2010, and as a territory within the wider Auckland R ...

. Alexander had bought the land 25 years earlier.

Legislative Council and death

He was appointed to the Legislative Council by the United–Reform coalition Government on 22 June 1934. In November 1940, he underwent a serious operation and remained in hospital until February 1941 before he returned to his home in

Remuera Remuera is an affluent inner city suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is located four kilometres southeast of the city centre. Remuera is characterised by many large houses, often Edwardian or mid 20th century. A prime example of a "leafy" sub ...

. He retired from the Legislative Council at the end of his seven-year term on 21 June 1941. On 15 July 1941, less than a month of his retirement, he died at his home in Remuera Road. He was survived by his wife Amy and their son Harcourt. His wife died in 1948.Death certificate registration number 1948/16302 On 17 July, several members of the 26th Parliament spoke in memory of Alexander:

Walter Nash Sir Walter Nash (12 February 1882 – 4 June 1968) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 27th prime minister of New Zealand in the Second Labour Government from 1957 to 1960. He is noted for his long period of political service, havin ...

(acting

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Sidney Holland Sir Sidney George Holland (18 October 1893 – 5 August 1961) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 25th prime minister of New Zealand from 13 December 1949 to 20 September 1957. He was instrumental in the creation and consolidation o ...

(

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

Rex Mason Henry Greathead Rex Mason (3 June 1885 – 2 April 1975) was a New Zealand politician. He served as Attorney General, Minister of Justice, Minister of Education, and Minister of Native Affairs, and had a significant influence on the directi ...

(

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

Bill Endean William Phillips Endean (26 September 1883 – 19 June 1957) was a New Zealand politician, first of the Reform Party then from 1935 the National Party. He failed to be selected for the and was the first sitting National MP with that fate, bu ...

(member for

), and

Bill Schramm Frederick William Schramm (28 March 1886 – 28 October 1962) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He was the eleventh Speaker of the House of Representatives, from 1944 to 1946. Biography Early life Schramm was born in Hokitika ...

(member for

Auckland East Auckland East was a New Zealand electorate, situated in the east of Auckland. It existed between 1861 and 1887, and again between 1905 and 1946. History The Auckland East electorate was established for the 1860–1861 election, when the City ...

). The Legislative Council next met on 22 July and the following spoke about Alexander: David Wilson (Leader of the House),

Bernard Martin Bernard Martin may refer to: * Bernard Martin (New Zealand politician) Bernard Martin (1882 – 19 June 1956) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party and one of the party's pioneers. Biography Early life and career Martin was born in ...

, Jack McCullough, William McIntyre, and James Cotter.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, John 1876 births 1941 deaths People from Newtownards People educated at Methodist College Belfast People educated at Prince Albert College 20th-century New Zealand lawyers Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council Politicians from Auckland New Zealand Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George