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Tom AshbyOBE
30th Mayor of Auckland City
In office 3 December 1956 – 26 September 1957
Deputy	Keith Buttle
Preceded by	John Luxford
Succeeded by	Keith Buttle
Personal details
Born	23 August 1895 Auckland, New Zealand
Died	26 September 1957 (aged 62) Auckland, New Zealand
Spouse	Margaret Wilson Fox ​(m. 1921)​
Children	5
Occupation	Public Servant

Thomas William Mark Ashby JP OBE (23 August 1895 – 26 September 1957) was a New Zealand local body administrator and Mayor of Auckland City from 1956 to 1957.

Biography

Early life and carerr

Ashby was born 23 August 1895 in Auckland, Ashby was educated at Te Aroha High School, and later at both Victoria and Auckland universities. In 1911 he entered the public service, being appointed to the head office staff of the Department of Education. After completing his university studies and qualified as a lawyer.

He served in the Army in the First World War, enlisting in the New Zealand Field Artillery in 1916 and was sent overseas as part of the 16th reinforcements. Serving in both France and Belgium, he was wounded in a leg and, in 1919 was invalided back to New Zealand. In 1920, he joined the Census and Statistics Office and was appointed as the compiler in charge of its local government and finance section. In March 1921 he married Margaret Fox in Petone.

In 1923, he joined the Auckland City Council as its law and committee clerk. In 1936 he was promoted to assistant Town Clerk in 1936, and the next year he was made city treasurer. In 1944 Ashby became Auckland's Town Clerk (providing administration and advice to Auckland City Council). He was a fellow of the New Zealand Society of Accountants, an associate member of the Australian Institute of Secretaries, a fellow of the Incorporated Institute of Secretaries, a member of the London Institute of Public Administration and the Standards Institute. He was also secretary of the committee for the 1950 British Empire Games held at Auckland. In the 1951 King's Birthday Honours, Ashby was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for municipal services. In 1953, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.

Political career

Having retired as Town Clerk in 1955, he remained engaged in the city's affairs, and in November 1956 successfully challenged the sitting mayor John Luxford, for the role. Luxford had claimed wasteful expenditure inside the council in his 1953 campaign, but (though initiating a number of reforms) had not been successful in chairing the council. On 16 May 1957 both he and his wife were injured in a car accident while on his way to welcome delegates attending a conference.

Death

Ashby died suddenly on 23 September 1957, near the end of his first year in office, aged 62 years, He collapsed and died suddenly at his home just after he had finished his dinner and was preparing to leave for the Auckland Town Hall concert chamber to hold a medal presentation to nurses. Complaining of a headache, he collapsed minutes later. A doctor was called, but Ashby had died instantly. He was survived by his wife and five sons.

He was replaced as mayor by Keith Buttle in a by-election in November 1957.

References

1. ^ "Mayor Dies Suddenly – Mr T. W. Ashby, Of Auckland". The Press. Vol. XCVI, no. 28393. 27 September 1957. p. 14.
2. "Woman's World". The Dominion. Vol. 14, no. 148. 18 March 1921. p. 2.
3. "No. 39245". The London Gazette (Supplement). 7 June 1951. p. 3100.
4. "Coronation Medal" (PDF). Supplement to the New Zealand Gazette. No. 37. 3 July 1953. pp. 1021–1035. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
5. "Mishap to Mayor's Car – Mr and Mrs Ashby Badly Shaken". The Press. Vol. XCV, no. 28279. 17 May 1957. p. 7.
6. Who's Who in New Zealand, 7th edition 1961 p304
7. "Declaration of Result of Poll on Election of Mayor". The New Zealand Herald. 7 November 1957. p. 6.

• Who’s Who in New Zealand, 6th edition 1956, edited by Frank A Simpson (1956, Reed, Wellington)

v t e Mayors of Auckland City
Mayors	Philip Philips Henry Isaacs Frederick Prime Benjamin Tonks William Hurst Henry Brett Thomas Peacock James Clark William Waddel Albert Devore John Upton William Crowther James Job Holland Abraham Boardman Peter Dignan David Goldie John Logan Campbell Alfred Kidd Edwin Mitchelson Arthur Myers Charles Grey Lemuel Bagnall James Parr James Gunson George Baildon George Hutchison Ernest Davis John Allum John Luxford Tom Ashby Keith Buttle Dove-Myer Robinson Roy McElroy Dove-Myer Robinson Colin Kay Catherine Tizard Les Mills Christine Fletcher John Banks Dick Hubbard John Banks
Mayoral elections	Annual term 1871† 1872† 1873† 1874† 1875 1876 1877† 1878 1879† 1880† 1881† 1882† 1883† 1884† 1885† 1886† 1887† 1888† 1889† 1890† 1891† 1892† 1893† 1894† 1895† 1896† 1897† 1898 1899† 1900† 1901 1902† 1903 1904† 1905 1906 1907 1908† 1909† 1910 1911† 1912 1913† 1914† Biennial term 1915 1917 1919† 1921† 1923† 1925 1927 1929 1931 1933 1935 Triennial term 1938 1941 1944 1947 1950 1953 1956 1957‡ 1959 1962 1965 1968 1971 1974 1977 1980 1983 1986 1989 1990‡ 1992 1995 1998 2001 2004 2007
Local elections	1986 1989 1992 1995 1998 2001 2004 2007 by-elections
† Elected unopposed ‡ By-election

• 1895 births
• 1957 deaths
• Mayors of Auckland
• 20th-century New Zealand lawyers
• New Zealand military personnel of World War I
• University of Auckland alumni
• Victoria University of Wellington alumni
• New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire
• Independent politicians in New Zealand