Roy Granville McElroy (2 April 1907 – 16 May 1994) was a New Zealand lawyer and politician, who served as

mayor of Auckland City The Mayor of Auckland City was the directly elected head of the Auckland City Council, the municipal government of Auckland City, New Zealand. The office existed from 1871 to 2010, when the Auckland City Council and mayoralty was abolished and ...

from 1965 to 1968.

Early life and career

Born in

Auckland 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 ...

on 2 April 1907, McElroy was the son of Herbert Thomas Granville McElroy and Frances Catherine McElroy (née Hampton).McElroy, Roy Granville
''Who Was Who'', A & C Black, 1920–2015; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2014 He was educated at

Thames High School Thames High School is a public high school in Thames, Waikato, New Zealand. Established in 1880, it is the second oldest secondary school in the former Auckland Province. Academics At all grade levels, Māori language courses are offered, with ...

and

Auckland Grammar School 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 I ...

, and went on to study at

Auckland University College , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

from 1924. He gained a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...

in 1928, and a

Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mos ...

with second-class honours in 1929. He worked as a law clerk in Auckland, and in 1932 was awarded a postgraduate scholarship in law by the

University of New Zealand The University of New Zealand was New Zealand's sole degree-granting university from 1874 to 1961. It was a collegiate university embracing several constituent institutions at various locations around New Zealand. After it was dissolved in 196 ...

. He travelled to Britain and completed a PhD in law at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

in 1934. He was conferred the degree of

Doctor of Laws A Doctor of Law is a degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country and includes degrees such as the Doctor of Juridical Science (J.S.D. or S.J.D), Juris Doctor (J.D.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), and Legum Doctor ...

by the

in 1935. On 3 December 1936, McElroy married Margaret Lillian Pountney, but they divorced in December 1943. He later married Joan Holm Blackie (née Biss), and, following the latter's death, Betty Joan Boyd MacGregor. McElroy later became a partner in the Auckland law firm of McElroy, Duncan and Preddle. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, he served with the

2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

from 1940 to 1944, rising to become a captain in 14 Light Anti-Aircraft Regiment.

Political career

McElroy was an

Auckland City Councillor Auckland Council ( mi, Te Kaunihera o Tāmaki Makaurau) is the local government council for the Auckland Region in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority that has the responsibilities, duties and powers of a regional council and so is a ...

for 15 years from 1938 to 1953, when he was deselected by the Citizens and Ratepayers association (C&R). Later, in 1965, he was chosen as the C&R candidate to run against the popular incumbent Mayor

Dove-Myer Robinson Sir Dove-Myer Robinson (15 June 1901 – 14 August 1989) was Mayor of Auckland City from 1959 to 1965 and from 1968 to 1980, the longest tenure of any holder of the office. He was a colourful character and became affectionately known across New ...

. He won in 1965 by 1134 votes, but in the next election in 1968, Robinson defeated him by 6000 votes. As both councillor and mayor, he supported housing and urban renewal. McElroy was the National Party candidate for the electorate in and . He was to stand in Roskill in the cancelled 1941 election. He later served as the Honorary Consular Agent of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

from 1948 to 1972 and was awarded the Chevalier of the Légion d’honneur by the French president,

Georges Pompidou Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou ( , ; 5 July 19112 April 1974) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1969 until his death in 1974. He previously was Prime Minister of France of President Charles de Gaulle from 1962 to 196 ...

, in 1970. In the 1972 New Year Honours, McElroy was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, for services to the community.

Death

McElroy died in Auckland on 16 May 1994, and his ashes were buried at Purewa Cemetery.

References

*Obituary in ''

The New Zealand Herald ''The New Zealand Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, owned by New Zealand Media and Entertainment, and considered a newspaper of record for New Zealand. It has the largest newspaper circulation of all newspaper ...

'' of 17 May 1994 (section 1 page 9) {{DEFAULTSORT:McElroy, Roy 1907 births 1994 deaths People from Auckland People educated at Thames High School People educated at Auckland Grammar School University of Auckland alumni 20th-century New Zealand lawyers Mayors of Auckland New Zealand military personnel of World War II Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge New Zealand National Party politicians Knights of the Legion of Honour New Zealand recipients of the Legion of Honour New Zealand Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Unsuccessful candidates in the 1946 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1943 New Zealand general election Candidates in the 1941 New Zealand general election Burials at Purewa Cemetery