Sir John Kenneth McAlpine (21 July 1906 – 11 January 1984) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. He was the Member of Parliament for Selwyn from 1946 to 1966, when he retired.

Biography

McAlpine was born in

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 1906, the son of a sheepfarmer – Walter Kenneth McAlpine. He received his education at Christ's College in Christchurch. After school, he worked at his father's high-country station at

Craigieburn, New Zealand Craigieburn is the name of a settlement and several geographic features in northwest Canterbury, in New Zealand's South Island. The Craigieburn Range of mountains is located on the south banks of the Waimakariri River, south of Arthur's Pass. T ...

in the

Southern Alps The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Southern ...

east of

Arthur's Pass Arthur's Pass, previously called Camping Flat then Bealey Flats, and for some time officially Arthurs Pass, is a township in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand, located in the Selwyn district. It is a popular base for explorin ...

. He became the manager of that station in 1929 and later lived at Spye, a locality in North Canterbury near

Omihi Omihi or Ōmihi is a rural community in the Hurunui District of the Canterbury Region, on New Zealand's South Island. It is located 21km north-east of Amberley. Translated from Māori, it means place of (''Ō'') greeting, wailing or lamentation ...

, where his father had farmed. McAlpine married Lesley Hay in 1935; she was a descendant of Ebenezer Hay of

Pigeon Bay Pigeon Bay is a body of water that lies between Minnesota, United States and Ontario, Canada and is part of Lake Superior. The international boundary between the two countries lies in the middle of the bay. The name of "Pigeon" Bay was most like ...

who was the earliest white settler in Canterbury. McAlpine Sr was chairman of the

Lyttelton Harbour Board The Lyttelton Harbour Board was established on 10 January 1877 to manage Lyttelton Harbour. The harbour had previously been managed by the Canterbury Provincial Council, but provincial government ceased to exist on 1 January 1877. The harbour boa ...

when he died in July 1937. Another member of the harbour board, James Leslie, died in September 1937. McAlpine Jr was one of two government-appointees to fill those vacancies and he attended his first meeting on 1 November 1937. On 2 June 1943, McAlpine Jr was voted chairman of the harbour board. He served two one-year terms and was succeeded by his deputy, Bill MacGibbon, on 6 June 1945. He was

Minister of Railways A Ministry of Railways is a Cabinet department that exists or has existed in many Commonwealth states as well as others. It generally occurs in countries where railroad transportation is a particularly important part of the national infrastructur ...

in 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 ...

from 1954 to 1957. In the Second National Government from 1960 to 1966 he was

and

Minister of Transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government agen ...

. In the 1970 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a

Companion 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, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

, for services to politics, and in the

1977 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1977 are appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 1977. The awards were announced on 30 December 1976 in the United Kingdom,United Kingdom: Australia,Australia: Ne ...

he was promoted to

Knight 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 ...

, for public services, especially as chairman of the New Zealand Ports Authority since 1969.

References

* , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:McAlpine, John 1906 births 1984 deaths New Zealand National Party MPs Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George New Zealand people of Scottish descent Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates 20th-century New Zealand politicians New Zealand politicians awarded knighthoods People educated at Christ's College, Christchurch Lyttelton Harbour Board members Chancellors of Lincoln University (New Zealand)