Sir Stephen Allen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Administrator of Western Samoa | |
| In office 5 May 1928 – 3 April 1931 | |
| Monarch | George V |
| Preceded by | George Spafford Richardson |
| Succeeded by | Herbert Ernest Hart |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Stephen Shepherd Allen 2 August 1882 |
| Died | 4 November 1964 (aged 82) Near Maramarua, New Zealand |
| Cause of death | Heart attack |
| Relatives | William Shepherd Allen (father) John Candlish (grandfather) William Allen (brother) John Manchester Allen (nephew) |
Sir Stephen Shepherd Allen KBE CMG DSO* VD (2 August 1882 – 4 November 1964) was a New Zealand lawyer, farmer, colonial administrator, local-body politician, and mayor of Morrinsville.
Allen was the son of William Shepherd Allen, an MP in both the United Kingdom and New Zealand. His mother was Elizabeth Penelope Candlish, daughter of John Candlish.[1] His brother William Allen was an MP in England.
He served in World War I, being appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 1919 King's Birthday Honours,[2] and in the Territorial Army, and was Administrator of the colony of Western Samoa (now Samoa) from 1928 to 1931.[1] His rule of Samoa was marked by the attempted suppression of the Mau movement – culminating on 29 December 1929 with the "Black Saturday" killing of eleven non-violent protesters, including the Mau leader, Tupua Tamasese Lealofi III.
Allen was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) in the 1933 King's Birthday Honours.[3] In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.[4]
On 4 November 1964, Allen had a heart attack while driving near Maramarua, and both he and his housekeeper, Elma Jessie Brunton, died in the resulting crash.[1]