John Luke (politician)

The Honourable Sir John-Pearce Luke CMG
20th Mayor of Wellington
In office 1913–1921
Preceded by	David McLaren
Succeeded by	Robert Alexander Wright
Personal details
Born	16 July 1858 Penzance, Cornwall, United Kingdom
Died	7 December 1931(1931-12-07) (aged 73) Wellington, New Zealand
Political party	Liberal (1908–1918) Reform (1918–1928)
Spouse(s)	Jacobina McGregor (m. 1880)
Relations	Charles Luke (brother)

Sir John-Pearce Luke CMG (16 July 1858 – 7 December 1931) was a New Zealand politician. Luke was Mayor of Wellington from 1913–1921 and Member of Parliament for Wellington Suburbs 1908–1911 and Wellington North 1918–1928. His brother Charles Manley Luke had previously also been Mayor of Wellington in 1895. Sir John Pearce was nicknamed Peanut because he was short.

Early life

Born at St Just, near Penzance, Cornwall, England, to Samuel and Ann Luke, John Luke came to New Zealand with his parents in July 1874 after the Cornish tin industry failed. He completed two years of an apprenticeship as an engineer before leaving for Fielding, New Zealand where, the family were informed, they would be able to take up engineering work, however, "When the Luke's landed at Wellington they discovered that Foxton was merely a paper township; it was a name on the map and the only industry there was the extraction of pipis from the beach by Maoris."^[1] Luke completed his engineering apprenticeship with the Lion Foundry, and worked on various projects before joining his father's newly established Te Aro Engineering Works in 1879.^[1] After initially struggling the business was successful and constructed several steamships. In June 1886 his oldest brother William died "after a short and painful illness in his 34th year"^[2] followed by his next oldest brother, Samuel, at 32 years of age, in December.^[3]

City council and mayor

Luke was first elected to the city council in 1898^[4] and served between that year and 1911. He was responsible for the expansion of the Wellington tramway system. For many years he was president of the New Zealand Engineers and Iron Masters Association, and was actively associated with the Wellington Industrial Association, the Wellington District Hospital Board, the Wellington Technical Education Board, and the Navy League. The Returned Soldiers Association conferred upon them the honour of life membership of the organisation. Luke contested the 1905 Wellington City mayoral election and of the six candidates, he came fourth, with Thomas William Hislop elected.^[5]

Member of Parliament

His political career began in 1908 with his election as member for Wellington Suburbs for the Liberal Party, but he lost his seat at the 1911 general election to Reform candidate William Henry Dillon Bell.^[6] From 1911 until 1918 he was not a member of Parliament, and was re-elected to Parliament in the 1918 by-election as a member of the Reform Party and again 1919, in the Wellington North electorate. He held this electorate continuously until the general election of 1928, when he was defeated by the Labour candidate, by a margin of 47 votes.^[6]

Luke was married in 1880 to Jacobina McGregor. He was knighted in the 1921 Birthday Honours for his work in combatting the 1918 flu pandemic,^[7] having previously been made a CMG. He was leader of the New Zealand delegation which visited South Africa in 1924 in connection with the Empire Parliamentary Association. He died suddenly on 7 December 1931, and was survived by his wife, four sons, and one daughter.^[8] His funeral service was held at St. Paul's Cathedral in Wellington,^[9] followed by a private cremation,^[8] with his ashes buried at Karori Cemetery.^[10][11]

Miscellanea

• Lukes Lane in the Wellington CBD is named after the family business, Lukes' Foundry, which was sited there; years later, Sir John Pearce's sons set up Luke Bros foundry near Chaffers Street. Lukes' Foundry built New Zealand's first steel ship, and several lighthouses.
• Sir John Pearce and his wife, Lady Luke, donated the decorative iron gates at the entrance to Central Park, in Brooklyn, Wellington.
• Lady Luke was President of the Victoria League Wellington Branch from 1920 to 1922^[12]

References

Further reading

• Perry, Stuart (1969), No Mean City, Wellington, [N.Z.]: Wellington City Council 

External links

• Taylor History – John Pearce Luke

Mayors of Wellington City
Mayors	elected by councillors George Hunter William Guyton Joseph Dransfield Charles Borlase William Sefton Moorhouse elected at large William Hutchison Joseph Dransfield George Allen William Hutchison George Fisher Arthur Winton Brown Samuel Brown John Duthie Charles Johnston Arthur Winton Brown Francis Bell Alfred Brandon Charles Luke George Fisher Francis Bell John Blair John Aitken Thomas William Hislop Alfred Newman Thomas Wilford David McLaren John Luke Robert Wright Charles Norwood George Troup Thomas Hislop Will Appleton Rob Macalister Frank Kitts Michael Fowler Ian Lawrence James Belich Fran Wilde Mark Blumsky Kerry Prendergast Celia Wade-Brown Justin Lester
Mayoral elections	Annual term 1875 1876† 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 Biennial term 1899 1901 1903† 1905 1907 1909 1910‡ 1911† 1912‡ 1913 1915 1917† 1919 1921 1923 1925 1927 1929 1931 1933† Triennial term 1935 1938 1941 1944 1947 1950 1953 1956 1959 1962 1965 1968 1971 1974 1977 1980 1983 1986 1989 1992 1995 1998 2001 2004 2007 2010 2013 2016
† Elected unopposed · ‡ By-election