1. John Allum became a clerk and on 5 March 1908, he married Annie Attwood at Lewisham, and they emigrated to New Zealand the following year.
19 Facts About John Allum
1. 2.
John Allum settled in Auckland briefly before working in Dunedin for four years before returning to Auckland in 1914.
3.
John Allum's stay was intended to be temporary, but he ended up living there the rest of his life.
4.
John Allum was elected to the council of the Auckland Chamber of Commerce in 1919.
5.
An electrical engineer, John Allum founded John Allum Electrical in Auckland in 1922.
6.
John Allum was the managing director of the company for many decades until his son Robert took over.
7.
John Allum was a member of the Auckland City Council from 1920 to 1929 when he was defeated.
8.
John Allum was defeated again in 1931 trying to reclaim a council seat.
9.
John Allum then contested the 1931 election in the Auckland West electorate for the Reform Party.
10.
John Allum then served a second term on the city council from 1938 to 1941 when he was deputy mayor.
11.
John Allum was elected as Mayor of Auckland City at the 1941 mayoral election.
12.
John Allum is known as the person who championed the Auckland Harbour Bridge, sometimes referred to as Jack John Allum's Bridge.
13.
John Allum became the inaugural chairman of the Auckland Harbour Bridge Authority in 1950 and only relinquished this role in 1971 at the age of 82.
14.
John Allum was vehemently opposed by the Auckland and Suburban Drainage League over his sewerage scheme.
15.
John Allum dismissed their leader Dove-Myer Robinson as a "noisy crank" which was a political mistake.
16.
John Allum was defeated and became the first incumbent in Auckland that century who failed to secure re-election.
17.
John Allum died in Takapuna on 16 September 1972, and his body was cremated at Purewa Crematorium.
18.
In 1935, John Allum was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.
19.
John Allum was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for patriotic and social welfare services in the 1946 New Year Honours, and a Knight Bachelor in the 1950 King's Birthday Honours.