Adam Adamson

Adam Adamson
38th Mayor of Invercargill
In office
1953–1962
Personal details
Born
Adam Laurence Adamson

(1884-03-10)10 March 1884
Pahia, New Zealand
Died21 July 1984(1984-07-21) (aged 100)
Spouse
Alice Floyd Harrington
(m. 1922)
Children2

Adam Laurence "Addie" Adamson OBE (10 March 1884 – 21 July 1984) was a New Zealand businessman, accountant and local politician. He served as mayor of Invercargill from 1953 to 1962.

Early life

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Born in Pahia in Western Southland, Adamson was educated at Pahia School and Southland Boys' High School. 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.[1]

Political career

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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.[1]

In the 1956 New Year Honours, Adamson was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, in recognition of his service as mayor.[2]

Personal life and death

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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.[1] His wife, Alice Adamson, died in 1990, also at the age of 100.[3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Thomson, Jane, ed. (1998). Southern People: a dictionary of Otago Southland biography. Dunedin: Longacre Press. pp. 2–3. ISBN 1-877135-11-9.
  2. ^ "No. 40671". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 January 1956. pp. 43–45.
  3. ^ "Cemetery result". Invercargill City Council. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Invercargill
1942–1950
Succeeded by