Adam Laurence "Addie" Adamson (10 March 1884 – 21 July 1984) was a New Zealand businessman, accountant and local politician. He served as

mayor of Invercargill The Mayor of Invercargill is the head of the municipal government of Invercargill, New Zealand, and leads the Invercargill City Council. The mayor is directly elected using a First Past the Post electoral system every three years. The current m ...

from 1953 to 1962.

Early life

Born in

Pahia Pahia is a small rural locality in coastal Southland, New Zealand, not to be confused with the North Island tourist resort of Paihia. Surrounding areas include Ruahine, Wakapatu, Round Hill, Colac Bay and Orepuki. The main road, Orepuki-Riverton ...

in Western Southland, Adamson was educated at Pahia School and

Southland Boys' High School Southland Boys' High School (SBHS) is an all-boys school in Invercargill, New Zealand, and has been the only one in the city since Marist Brothers was merged with St Catherines to form Verdon College in 1982. History SBHS was founded in 1881 a ...

. He was born without a right hand. He worked on offices and ran general stores in Tuatapere and Orepuke with his brother Harry before becoming a partner in the firm of Featherston, Adamson and Francis, Accountants and Secretarial Services. He also had a small farm at Tuatapere.

Political career

Adamson was a city councillor from 1944 for nine years, then was mayor from 1953 to 1962. He was elected president of the New Zealand Municipal Association in 1960. In the

1956 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1956 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth real ...

, Adamson 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 ...

, in recognition of his service as mayor.

Personal life and death

Adamson married Alice Harrington in 1922. He was a Presbyterian Church elder. He drove a car until he was 99, and spoke at a formal dinner two nights before his death on 21 July 1984, aged 100. His wife, Alice Adamson, died in 1990, also at the age of 100.

References

1884 births 1984 deaths 20th-century New Zealand politicians New Zealand politicians with disabilities Invercargill City Councillors Mayors of Invercargill 20th-century New Zealand businesspeople New Zealand accountants New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Southland Boys' High School New Zealand centenarians Men centenarians Burials at Southland Crematorium {{NewZealand-mayor-stub