Sir James Allen (10 February 1855 – 28 July 1942) was a prominent New Zealand politician and diplomat. He held a number of the most important political offices in the country, including Minister of Finance and Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was also New Zealand's Minister of Defence during World War I.

Early life

Allen was born in Adelaide, Australia. Some time after his brother Charles was born (1856) and their before their mother's early death in 1861, the young family moved to Dunedin, New Zealand, where the family resided for several years. Shortly after his mother's death, Allen and his brother Charles were given into the care of an uncle in Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England. Allen's father died in 1865, leaving him an orphan.

Despite this rather turbulent beginning to his life, Allen made a good start. After first attending Clifton College in Bristol (having won a scholarship to do so), he gained admittance to St John's College at Cambridge University. He graduated with a BA in 1877. Shortly afterwards, Allen decided to return to Dunedin, where he had inherited a significant amount of property from his father.

In Dunedin, Allen was highly successful, serving on the City Council and even playing for the Otago provincial rugby team. He left for England once again in 1883, studying at the Royal School of Mines for several years. When he returned to Dunedin, he established a presence in Otago's coal and gold mining industries.

Early parliamentary career

thumb|[[Walter Carncross, William Thomas Wood and Allen (right) during the Parliamentary Excursion to South Sea Islands, 1903]]

In 1887, Allen decided to enter national politics, standing in the Dunedin East seat as a conservative opponent to Robert Stout, the Premier. Few expected a first-time challenger to defeat the Premier, but amazingly, Allen did just that. Allen's own tenure as MP for Dunedin East was short, however, as he was himself voted out of office at the next (1890) election. In 1892, however, Allen returned to Parliament after winning a by-election in the rural Otago electorate of Bruce, which he held until he retired in 1920.

Gradually, Allen developed a reputation as a solid performer in Parliament. He lacked the skills at oratory of some of his contemporaries, and was often seen as humourless and uncharismatic. But he was nevertheless considered dependable, reasonable, and practical. He was sometimes cited as a possible leader for Parliament's conservative faction, but when the conservatives eventually came together to found the Reform Party, the more charismatic William Massey became leader instead.

Subsequent activities

After the war, the coalition government collapsed, and James Allen once again became Minister of Finance. In October 1919, he was made the first Minister of External Affairs, a new ministerial portfolio that was created to administer New Zealand's newly acquired League of Nations Mandate Samoa. He took up these posts reluctantly, describing himself as weary of politics. In 1920, he resigned from Parliament to take up a position as New Zealand's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. He also represented New Zealand at the League of Nations, taking a prominent part in the League's Permanent Mandates Commission.

After returning to New Zealand, Allen became active in a number of organisations. Reflecting his long-held interest in the Pacific Islands, which had been stimulated by a number of visits in the course of his political career, he was a prominent member of the Institute of Pacific Relations, whose New Zealand branch he chaired from its formation in 1926 until late 1937. He was active in All Saints' Church, Dunedin and also vice-president of the Bible-in-Schools League, reflecting a cause which he had controversially championed while Minister of Education.

On 1 June 1927, Allen was appointed to the Legislative Council, the (now-abolished) upper house of Parliament. The Legislative Council was considerably more sedate than the lower house, and Allen was not overly stressed by its activities. At the end of his first term in 1934, he was reappointed (until 1941).

Allen retired from public life in 1938, and died in Dunedin on 28 July 1942.

Honours and awards

Allen was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath in the 1917 New Year Honours, and a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 1926 New Year Honours. He was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal in 1935.

Notes

Further reading

  • . Papers presented to Allen and other members of the New Zealand Parliamentary party.
  • . A paper read to the Royal Colonial Institute on 2 November 1920.
  • Photo of James Allen addressing Returned Soldiers at Rarotonga, 1919
  • Image of James Allen's signature