William Shepherd Allen

William Shepherd Allen
W. S. Allen 1912
Member of the United Kingdom Parliament
for Newcastle-under-Lyme
In office
1865–1886
Preceded by William Murray
William Jackson
Succeeded by Douglas Harry Coghill
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Te Aroha
In office
1890–1891
Preceded by new constituency
Succeeded by William Fraser
Personal details
Born 22 June 1831
Manchester, England
Died 15 January 1915 (aged 83)
Cheadle, Staffordshire
Resting place St Giles the Abbot's Churchyard, Cheadle
Political party Liberal Party (UK)
Relations John Candlish (father-in-law)
Children William Allen
Elizabeth Candlish Allen
John Candlish Allen
Maria Shepherd Allen
Thomas Shepherd Allen
Robert Candlish Allen
Stephen Shepherd Allen
Mary Esther Allen
Paul Henry Allen
Alice Barbara Allen
Residence Woodhead Hall, Cheadle
Annandale near Morrinsville, New Zealand
Alma mater Wadham College, Oxford
Religion Methodist

William Shepherd Allen (22 June 1831 – 15 January 1915) was an English Liberal politician, who also farmed in New Zealand and who was briefly an MP in that country.

Biography

Allen was born at Manchester, the son of William Allen and his wife Maria Shepherd. His father was JP for Staffordshire, residing at Woodhead Hall,[1] Cheadle. Allen was educated at Wadham College, Oxford. He graduated with a BA in law and history in 1854, and an MA in 1857.[2]

In 1869, Allen married Elizabeth Penelope Candlish, the daughter of John Candlish MP for Sunderland. Their eldest son William was later MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme. Another son, Colonel Sir Stephen Shepherd Allen, (1882–1964) was a New Zealand lawyer, farmer, local body politician, and Mayor of Morrinsville. He served in World War I and in the Territorial Army, and was Administrator of the colony of Western Samoa (now Samoa) 1928-31.[3]

He was a devout Methodist and wrote several religious papers.

Allen was elected as MP for Newcastle-under-Lyme in 1865. He held the seat until 1886. In later life he shared his time between Woodhead Hall in England and his property Annandale near Morrinsville in New Zealand.[4]

Parliament of New Zealand
Years Term Electorate Party
18901891 11th Te Aroha Independent

In 1890 he was elected MP for Te Aroha in New Zealand, but his election was disallowed on petition by William Fraser in 1891.[5][6][7] The judges disqualified Allen from standing in the Te Aroha electorate for 12 months and he expressed disappointment that he could not contest the resulting 1891 by-election,[8] which was won by Fraser.[9] Allen contested the Parnell electorate in the 1893 election as an Independent, but was beaten by the incumbent, Frank Lawry, who represented the Liberal Party.[10][11] His son, John Candlish Allen, was one of three candidates in Parnell in the 1899 election, but came last with Lawry at the head of the poll.[12][13]

He died at Cheadle on 15 January 1915 at the age of 83 and is buried at St Giles the Abbot's Churchyard in Cheadle. His wife died in 1922.[14]

Publications

References

  1. "Woodhead Hall" (PDF).
  2. Robert Henry Mair, ed. (1870). Debrett's House of Commons. London: Dean & Son. p. 4. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  3. McGibbon, Ian. "Allen, Stephen Shepherd". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
  4. Papers Past Observer 26 Poutūterangi 1904
  5. "The Te Aroha Election". Thames Advertiser XXIV (6882). 4 April 1891. p. 2. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  6. "The Te Aroha Election". Thames Advertiser XXIV (6883). 6 April 1891. p. 2. Retrieved 2 February 2013.
  7. Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer. p. 92.
  8. "The Te Aroha Election". The Press. XLVIII (7836). 13 April 1891. p. 6. Retrieved 1 February 2013.
  9. "Te Aroha Election". Thames Star. XXIII (6930). 10 July 1891. p. 2. Retrieved 29 June 2011.
  10. "Parnell". Auckland Star XXIV (282). 28 November 1893. p. 5. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  11. "Parnell". Auckland Star XXIV (284). 30 November 1893. p. 6. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  12. "Electoral District of Parnell". Observer XIX (1095). 23 December 1899. p. 2. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  13. "John Candlish Allen". New Zealand War Graves Project. Retrieved 17 February 2014.
  14. "Some Memorial Inscriptions - Cheadle, Staffordshire". Wishful Thinking. Retrieved 3 February 2013.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
William Murray
William Jackson
Member of Parliament for Newcastle-under-Lyme
18651886
With: Edmund Buckley 1865-1878
Samuel Rathbone Edge 1878-1880
Charles Donaldson-Hudson 1880-1885
Succeeded by
Douglas Coghill
New Zealand Parliament
New constituency Member of Parliament for Te Aroha
18901891
Succeeded by
William Fraser