Sir Alfred Clarke Turnbull KBE (14 October 1881 – 17 September 1962) was a New Zealand colonial administrator who served as Administrator of Western Samoa and Tokelau between 1935 and 1946.
Sir Alfred Turnbull | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Administrator of Western Samoa and Tokelau | |
| In office 1935–1946 | |
| Preceded by | Herbert Ernest Hart |
| Succeeded by | Francis William Voelcker |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alfred Clarke Turnbull 14 October 1881 Balclutha, New Zealand |
| Died | 17 September 1962 (aged 80) Stamford, Connecticut, United States |
| Occupation | Public servant |
Biography
editTurnbull was born in Balclutha in 1881.[1] He joined the civil service in 1899, initially working in the Lands & Survey Department, before becoming Chief Accountant in 1912 and an inspector in 1915.[1] He served in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force between 1916 and 1919.[2] When he returned from the war, he was appointed secretary to the Public Service Commissioner.[1] In 1921 he married Grace Moncrieff.[3]
He was posted to Western Samoa in 1930, initially as Government Secretary.[4] In 1935 he was appointed Acting Administrator, succeeding Herbert Ernest Hart. Turnbull was a popular figure in Samoa, and a petition was sent to the New Zealand government requesting his appointment.[5] However, his position was not made permanent until 1943.[2] He remained in office until 1946, when he retired and was replaced by Francis William Voelcker.[6] He was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1946 New Year Honours.[4]
Following his retirement, Turnbull relocated to the United States where his daughter lived. He died in Stamford Hospital, Connecticut, in 1962.[4]
References
edit- ^ a b c Turnbull, Alfred Clarke (Sir), 1881–1962 New Zealand National Library
- ^ a b "From Samoa to Somes and back: The Internment of Father Albert Merten sm and Brother Joseph (Julius) Krieger sm during World War II Marists
- ^ Who's Who in New Zealand 1941, p336
- ^ a b c Sir Alfred Clarke Turnbull Pacific Islands Monthly, December 1962, p141
- ^ Administratorship of Samoa: Petition for Appointment of Mr. A.C. Turnbull Pacific Islands Monthly, September 1935, p37
- ^ David P. Henige (1970) Colonial Governors from the Fifteenth Century to the Present, University of Wisconsin Press, p188