Ewen Alison
Ewen William Alison (29 February 1852 – 6 June 1945) was a businessman and politician from late 1800's New Zealand. He was a involved the inception and development of the North Shore and is locally referred to as the Father of both Devonport and Takapuna.[1] He participated in local and national politics, serving as Mayor for both Takapuna and Devonport, on several boards and sat in both the House of Representatives (1902–1908) and the Legislative Council (1918–1932) of New Zealand.[1][2][3] He was also the co-founder and chairperson of the Devonport Ferry Company with his brother Alexander Jr..[1][2][3]
Early life
[edit]Ewen William Alison was born in Auckland, New Zealand on 29 February 1852 to parents Jane Cameron and Alexander Alison. His father was a prominent shipwright. [2][3] His family moved from Auckland to Devonport in 1854 and Alison continued to live on the North Shore for most of his life.[2][3] The family moved to Devonport as it became the next locum of shipbuilding in New Zealand, and subsequently Alexander became Devonport's first major shipbuilder. [3] He was educated at St Mary's School, Devonport.
At 13, he finished school and became employed as a type compositor at the New Zealand Herald, but in 1867, he departed Auckland to be a part of the Coromandel Gold Rush, where he earned a small amount of money. [2][3]
Business career
[edit]The money he earned from the gold rush was enough to kickstart a career in butchering with his brother Alexander Jr. They owned a store in Devonport and sold their products on horse and cart throughout the area, raised livestock and purchased bones that they used to grind down into fertiliser. This lasted for 14 years.[2][3]
Devonport Steam Company
[edit]In 1881, E. W. Alison and Alexander Jr. founded the Devonport Steam Ferry Company, providing steam ferries and buses for the Devonport area.[1][3][2] He and his brother also bought sections of crown land and subdivided them into residential-sized properties which they would then on-sell.[3] This was common practice at the time for influential members of the community and encouraged people to settle in the Devonport area but continue to work in the city. [3]
Political career
[edit]E. W. Alison was an incredibly active member of local politics. His first political position was as a Councillor of the Waitemata County Council representing Takapuna Riding in 1876 at 24 years of age for five years.[4][1][2] He went on to represent the Riding twice more from 1884 to 1887 and 1899 to 1902. [3] He also was elected as a member of the Devonport Road Board in May 1884 until its dissolution in June 1886.
He was then elected onto the newly formed Devonport Borough Council and served for two years.[3] In 1890, he was elected as Mayor of Devonport and served from 1890 to 1895 and then was elected again in 1902 to 1907. In the interim between these two terms he continued to serve on the Borough Council as a Councillor.[3] While Alison served on the Devonport Borough Council, he was also part of the Auckland Harbour Board from 1891, serving four terms.[1] His terms from 1891 to 1913 he served on behalf of ship-owners and due payers.[3] From 1913 to 1929, he served on the Board as a government apointee. [3]
In 1906, Alison moved from Devonport to Takapuna, into his residence called Lochaber, and when Takapuna became a borough on July 1 1913, he was elected its first mayor six weeks later on 15 August 1913.[1][2] He served for one year.
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1902–1905 | 15th | Waitemata | Independent | ||
| 1905–1908 | 16th | Waitemata | Independent | ||
Alison also participated in national politics. He served as a Member of the House of Representatives (now referred to as an MP) representing the Waitemata area from 1902 to 1908 as an Independent Conservative. [1][3] He won the Auckland electorate of Waitemata in the 1902 general election, and held it to 1908, when he retired.[5] In 1905 Alison had been associated with the breakaway New Liberal Party led initially by Harry Bedford and Francis Fisher, but had left the group before the election in December. Alison contested the Waitemata electorate in the 1911 election, but was eliminated in the first ballot.[6] After his term as Mayor of Takapuna, he went on to serve as a Member of the Legislative Council in 1918 to 1932, again representing the Waitemata, this time as part of the Reform Party. [1][3] He was reappointed in 1925 and served until the expiry of his second term in 1932.[7]
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i Bartlett, Jean, ed. (1989). Takapuna: People and Places. Morrinsville, New Zealand: Arrow Press Limited. ISBN 0 473 00788 6.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Laxon, W. A. (1993). "Alison, Ewen William". Te Ara: Ngā Tāngata Taumata Rau Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Retrieved 16 January 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Verran, David (2010). The North Shore: An Illustrated History. Glenfield, New Zealand: Random House. ISBN 978 1 86979 312 8.
- ^ "Page 3 Advertisements Column 1". Auckland Star. Vol. IX, no. 2677. 16 November 1878. p. 3. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 92.
- ^ AtoJs 1911 election 1912, p. 6.
- ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 73.
References
[edit]- Mansfield, F. W. (1912). The General Election, 1911. National Library. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
- Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.
External links
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