John William Andrews (8 May 1892 – 27 June 1983) was a New Zealand businessman and politician. He was

Mayor of Lower Hutt The city of Lower Hutt, New Zealand, was first proclaimed a borough on 1 February 1891. Prior to this it had been part of Hutt County, initially as a Roads Board and from 1881 as a Town Board. Since 2019, the mayor has been Campbell Barry. Hist ...

from 1933 to 1947.

Biography

Andrews was born in

Masterton Masterton () is a large town in the Wellington Region, Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand that operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa ...

in 1892. He was educated at Masterton District High School before enlisting in the army during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He was a captain in the

New Zealand Rifle Brigade The New Zealand Rifle Brigade (Earl of Liverpool's Own), affectionately known as The Dinks, was formed on 1 May 1915 as the third brigade of the New Zealand Division, part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. During the First World War it fough ...

and was wounded in action during the Battle of Messines. After the war he founded and operated a joinery manufacturing business in Masterton and was elected to the Masterton Borough Council. He stood in the in the electorate for the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

, but was defeated by the incumbent, Reform's

George Sykes George Sykes (October 9, 1822 – February 8, 1880) was a career United States Army officer and a Union general during the American Civil War. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1842, and served in numerous conflicts, ...

. In 1927 he moved to

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt () is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropoli ...

and opened a joinery factory. As the company director of the factory he was elected president of the Lower Hutt Chamber of Commerce. He became involved in politics in Lower Hutt as well and joined the United Party and organised James Kerr's campaign at the 1929 Hutt by-election. At the 1929 local-body elections he stood for the Lower Hutt Borough Council on the incipient People's Party ticket. He was unsuccessful but polled well, being the second highest polling unsuccessful candidate and only 30 votes being the last successful candidate.. From

1933 Events January * January 11 – Australian aviator Sir Charles Kingsford Smith makes the first commercial flight between Australia and New Zealand. * January 17 – The United States Congress votes in favour of Philippines independen ...

, he was elected

for five consecutive terms. He was also a member of the

Wellington Harbour Board Wellington Harbour Board was the body which formerly managed the shipping and commercial affairs of the port of Wellington in New Zealand. It was constituted in 1880 and was disestablished in 1989. During its 110-year tenure the Harbour Board ...

. He was first elected in 1938 (after being defeated in 1935) and served three terms until 1947. As mayor he worked to provide welfare and support to the unemployed. He began a public works scheme to provide employment relief during the

Great Depression The Great Depression was a severe global economic downturn from 1929 to 1939. The period was characterized by high rates of unemployment and poverty, drastic reductions in industrial production and international trade, and widespread bank and ...

by upgrading the facilities of the

Hutt Recreation Ground The Hutt Recreation Ground is a football, cricket and rugby union ground in Lower Hutt, Wellington, New Zealand. The grounds are owned by the Hutt City Council and managed for them by Downer. History In 1905 the area was first used for recreat ...

, including a new grandstand being erected. In 1935 he adopted Lower Hutt's first ever systematic town plan. He stood in the in the electorate for the

National Party National Party or Nationalist Party may refer to: Active parties * National Party of Australia, commonly known as ''The Nationals'' * Bangladesh: ** Bangladesh Nationalist Party ** Jatiya Party (Ershad) a.k.a. ''National Party (Ershad)'' * Californ ...

, but could not unseat the incumbent, Labour's

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, havi ...

. The 1940s was a period of rapid population growth in the area with the addition of thousands of new state houses in the new suburbs of

Epuni Epuni is a suburb of Lower Hutt, situated in the Wellington region of New Zealand. The suburb lies around one kilometre east of the Lower Hutt CBD. The suburb takes its name from the Te Āti Awa chief Honiana Te Puni. In 2018 HNZ, which ...

, Waddington and

Naenae Naenae (, occasionally spelled NaeNae) is a suburb of Lower Hutt, New Zealand. It lies on the eastern edge of the floodplain of the Hutt River, four kilometres from the Lower Hutt Central business district. A small tributary of the Hutt, the ...

. He was a Battalion Commander in the

Home Guard Home guard is a title given to various military organizations at various times, with the implication of an emergency or reserve force raised for local defense. The term "home guard" was first officially used in the American Civil War, starting ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In 1945 he revamped the city's rating system from unimproved value to annual rental value. He was president of the Municipal Association of New Zealand from 1944 to 1947 leading him to take up an appointment as a member of the Local Government Commission. He resigned from the mayoralty towards the end of the triennium to take up his role at the commission. He had another try at winning a parliamentary seat standing in Hutt again at the against Nash (who by this time was party leader). He was unsuccessful once again. In 1954 he retired from the Local Government Commission. Andrews died on 27 June 1983. He was survived by his son and daughter, his wife predeceased him by five years.

Awards and honours

In the

1950 King's Birthday Honours The King's Birthday Honours 1950 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The appointments were made to celebrate the ...

, Andrews 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 valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, in recognition of his 15 years of service as mayor of Lower Hutt. In 1953, he was awarded the

Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal () is a commemorative medal instituted to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. Award This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir from the Queen to members of the Royal Family ...

. Andrews Avenue in

city was named after him.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Andrews, Jack 1892 births 1983 deaths People from Masterton New Zealand military personnel of World War I Mayors of Lower Hutt Wellington Harbour Board members New Zealand Liberal Party politicians United Party (New Zealand) politicians New Zealand Legion politicians New Zealand National Party politicians Unsuccessful candidates in the 1925 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1938 New Zealand general election New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand military personnel of World War II Unsuccessful candidates in the 1951 New Zealand general election