ALLOM, ALBERT JAMES (1825-1909) was the son of Thomas Allom, the artist and architect who made the lithographic plates for Wakefield's Adventure in New Zealand (1845). Born and educated in London, Allom came to New Zealand as a survey cadet in the Brougham (which arrived at Wellington in Feb 1842). He was employed in Manawatu, on the roads to Porirua and Karori, and in the Hutt valley. In 1844 he was one of the preliminary survey party sent to Otago in the schooner Carbon. The staff being disbanded early next year, he settled in Wairarapa in partnership with John Tully, another cadet, leasing the Tauanui run from the natives. Recalled to England on private affairs in 1848, Allom spent some time with Edward Gibbon Wakefield at Boulogne assisting as amanuensis in producing The Art of Colonisation (published in 1849). He was associated with Wakefield in the affairs of the Canterbury settlement and with Frederick Young in the shipping arrangements. Having seen the first four ships off at Blackwall, he was soon after appointed private secretary to Sir Dominic Daly, lieut.-governor of Tobago, and a year later he became colonial secretary in that island. He took part in the defence arrangements in 1853 when relations with Russia became strained, and was in England on leave when the Crimean war broke out (1855). In 1856 he married Eliza, daughter of G. W. Horn, of Winchfield, Hampshire, and returned to his post in the West Indies, which he had to resign in 1860 owing to ill-health. Being appointed general manager and agent of the Great Barrier Land, Harbour and Mining Co., he came to Auckland in the Mermaid (1861). The company going into liquidation in 1867, he went to Thames and held various appointments, including those of clerk of the court, mining registrar (1870) and receiver of gold revenue at Mackaytown (1875). Retiring owing to the age limit in 1886, he lived in Tasmania 1889-97, when he returned to Auckland. Thereafter he took a prominent part in public movements, including the Auckland scenery preservation society (1899). Allom died on 16 Feb 1909.

Cycl. N.Z., ii (p); N.Z Company reports; Thames Jubilee; Who's Who N.Z., 1908; Roll of Honour, Auckland Centennial

Reference: Volume 1, page 22

🌳 Further sources