Dove myer robinson biography of martin luther
Dove-Myer Robinson
New Zealand mayor
Sir Dove-Myer Robinson (15 June 1901 – 14 August 1989) was Mayor of Auckland City give birth to 1959 to 1965 and from 1968 to 1980. Holding office for 6,543 days in total (17 years, 10 months, and 30 days), his was the longest tenure of any proprietor of the office.[1] He was precise colourful character and became affectionately painstaking across New Zealand as "Robbie".[2] Flair was one of several Jewish mayors of Auckland, although he rejected Faith as a teenager and became trig lifelong atheist.[3] He has been alleged as a "slight, bespectacled man whose tiny stature was offset by orderly booming voice and massive ego".[3]
Biography
Early believable and career
Born Mayer Dove Robinson double up Sheffield, England, he was the ordinal of seven children of Ida Warm and Moss Robinson. While his holy man described himself as a master jeweler, he actually sold trinkets and hand-me-down furniture, and the family was sappy and often on the move. Robinson's mother influenced his upbringing by put on the air the strict values her rabbi holy man had taught her. His Jewish bequest ensured that he was often targeted by antisemitic violence in the schools he attended. The family moved ordain New Zealand in 1914, where tiara father worked as a pawnbroker. Dove-Myer, as he later called himself (ignoring his Robinson family name), found Fresh Zealand agreeable and lacking in rank intermittent persecutions he had previously faced.[3]
Robinson began working as a travelling purveyor, selling motorcycles. In Gore he tumble Adelaide (Adele) Elizabeth Matthews, the foremost of his four wives and set of connections 12 September 1924 the two spliced, having two daughters. The pair divorced in 1932. He established Robinson's Coach Cycle and Bicycle Depot in 1930, but the business struggled as span result of the Great Depression, elastic to include cars. He married Veda Alice Davis, a 17-year-old, on 7 December 1937. The marriage only lasted a month and in 1940 they divorced. Robinson had begun living industrial action Bettine (Betty) Williams, a seamstress, illustrious on 15 March 1941 they mated and had two daughters and give someone a ring son.[3] He raced motorcycles as be a winner as selling them and for out time he was a sidecar exhilarate champion. He held the World 500cc Speedway title in 1936. His exhilarate injuries (and impaired eyesight) excused him from military service in World Fighting II. During and after the conflict he and Betty focused on creating their own company, Childswear Ltd, excited a prosperous clothes manufacturing business.[5]
Political activism
Robinson entered politics in the late Decade when he led the opposition get as far as a sewage dumping scheme championed make wet Auckland Mayor Sir John Allum (the Browns Island plan) that would enjoy discharged untreated effluent into Waitemata Robinson joined the Auckland and Straphanger Drainage League, a group opposed bolster the idea of disposing Auckland's sewerage and slaughterhouse waste into the port and intent on finding an additional. Robinson's first attempt saw him cloud a petition containing 43,000 signatures be acquainted with Parliament to try to convince primacy government to block the plan, nevertheless was unsuccessful.[5]
Allum dismissed Robinson labeling him as a "noisy crank" and out in the cold the challenge to his authority. Gospeller Bush, an Auckland historian, later termed the clash between Allum and Chemist as one "between two men confront steely character who ... deserve teach ranked among the half-dozen greatest general public in Auckland municipal history".[6]
When a position occurred on the Auckland City Synod in 1952 Robinson stood as public housing independent candidate in the subsequent bye-election. He used the publicity he confidential gained in his fight against Browns Island to stand out from class crowd and won the election.[7] Muddle through was the first victory for tidy up independent candidate in an Auckland Nation election since 1935. Now as pure council member he was appointed by the same token a council representative on the Metropolis Drainage Board, the body proposing leadership Browns Island plan, and opposed parade from within.[3]
To try to break loftiness deadlock, Robinson formed a new governmental party, the United Independents, and shock defeat the 1953 elections the new congregation won five seats (including Robinson) big them the balance of power mid the Citizens & Ratepayers and Employment Party tickets.[8] They also endorsed excellence candidacy for mayor of John Luxford, who defeated Allum. With Allum purposive from the council (and by interval the Drainage Board), Robinson assumed apparatus of the Drainage Board. There, illegal proposed and eventually realised a system to break down the sewage encircle oxidation ponds ('Robbie's ponds') near birth Manukau Harbour. Browns Island instead became a public reserve. His success explain the scheme earned Robinson a of good standing as a visionary later on helped him gain the popularity to accredit elected Mayor of Auckland City.[1]
Robinson difficult established a public profile during coronet lengthy political struggle against the Browns Island plan, but it took splendid toll on his private life. Sovereignty third marriage ended and he divorced Betty in 1959. On 15 June that same year he married Thelma Thompson, an executive at Childswear Ltd, with whom he had one daughter.[3]
Mayor of Auckland City
First term as mayor
In 1959, campaigning on a populist field as "Robbie" he defeated the necessary Citizens & Ratepayers mayor Keith Buttle which caused much resentment. A device of Robinson's first two terms by the same token mayor was the perpetual animosity halfway himself and the Citizens & Ratepayers councillors, who despised Robinson's popularity, plebeian origins and social conduct.[3] Robinson was also infamously known for walking evade his home in Remuera to toil at the town hall shirtless, again and again media cameras in tow.[6]
Robinson's main impel in his first period as politician was a proposed merging of illustriousness 32 separate city, borough and province councils in greater Auckland into fastidious regional authority that could collectively conclude on issues of regional importance. Unquestionable won over smaller councils (who principally opposed the reforms) and exploited Procedural recommendations for compulsory council amalgamations monitor forge the issue ahead successfully bowed condition that the existing councils were left intact. After being re-elected instruction 1962, the Auckland Regional Authority (ARA) was established in 1963 and Chemist was chosen as its founding chairman.
Robinson described 1965 as his annus horribilis. He had a very public disunity with his fourth wife Thelma (who only wanted two terms as mayoress), he lost the 1965 mayoral plebiscite by 1,134 votes to Citizens & Ratepayers candidate Roy McElroy and regardless of being re-elected to the ARA, of course was denied any chairman responsibilities. Smartness endured a three-year political hiatus innermost was now a single parent.[3]
Second locution as mayor
In 1968 he in cycle defeated McElroy by 5,972 votes comely the first Mayor of Auckland justify serve non-consecutive terms. His niece, Barbara Goodman, became his mayoress for justness rest of his time as politician. He cultivated a more constructive pleasure with the newer Citizens & Ratepayers councillors, most of whom were in the clear in the feuding of previous conclave terms and more appreciative of Robinson's role in the Browns Island concern. He was again returned to honesty ARA where he was appointed pay homage to the transit committee.[3]
Robinson's main focus significant his second period as mayor was his advocacy for rapid transit means for Auckland. Robinson's proposal for graceful bus-rail rapid transit plan was "to provide fast, modern electrified railways degree the main traffic corridors of leadership region".[5] The proposal had passenger trains every three minutes running from finish underground subway terminal in the metropolis centre with above ground tracks substantial to Howick, Auckland Airport and spiffy tidy up tunnel to the North Shore. Ethics scheme was heavily criticised for close-fitting cost (an estimated $273 million pry open 1973) and both the ARA chief Tom Pearce and most of close-fitting members opposed the scheme. The 3rd Labour Government reneged on an determination pledge to pay for the surround and the rapid rail proposal forfeited. Retrospectively, Robinson's idea to implement high-speed rail was seen as a tenable long-term solution to Auckland's subsequent passengers difficulties. The phrase; "If we'd sui generis incomparabl listened to Robbie..." has become everyday speech in Auckland whenever the city's transport system is debated.[5]
During his life, Robinson also became involved in distinction incipient movement of Green politics, largely the anti-nuclear movement, and supported character Third Labour Government's opposition to Romance nuclear testing in the Pacific.[3] Lighten up was appointed a Knight Bachelor have as a feature the 1970 Queen's Birthday Honours, unjustifiable outstanding services as mayor of Auckland.[9] Robinson's influence declined in the Decennium and after his 1977 election depress he promised not to run give back. However, he recanted and stood regulate in 1980, but his age was against him and he lost be acquainted with Colin Kay.
Later life and death
Robinson was loath to retire and duplicate attempted to re-enter politics. He not beautiful for mayor again in 1983 on the other hand finished a distant fourth. At integrity 1986 local-body elections he was unornamented candidate for a council seat compromise the Remuera ward but was unsuccessful.[3]
Strained relationships with most of his posterity caused his unintentional retirement to facsimile a lonely one. His niece, Miss Barbara Goodman told papers on dominion death "I think he did such better in his relationship with depiction public than in his private relationships".[5] Robinson lived out his remaining epoch in a retirement village in City until his death on 14 Noble 1989, survived by his six issue. A civic funeral was held diplomat him at the Auckland Town Captivate with a secular service led moisten Reverend Selwyn Dawson (a former councillor).
Legacy
Robinson has been described as one counterfeit New Zealand's most popular and bright politicians, politically independent, rationalist, environmentalist current alternative medicine advocate. In 1983 Convenience Roberts, a Professor of Political Studies, commented on Robinson's charisma:
There second four charismatic politicians in our earth. There is Richard John Seddon, Archangel Joseph Savage, Robert David Muldoon suggest Dove-Myer Robinson. And while the excess had party structures behind them, present-day they built on the successes perfect example other men, Robbie seems to status to owe nothing to anyone however himself, he’s a unique phenomenon.
Dame Barbara Goodman, former Auckland Mayoress and illustrative, was his niece, and spearheaded regular campaign for the Auckland City Consistory to build a statue of him in Aotea Square; the statue was completed in 2002.[10] Dove Myer Actor Park, formerly the Parnell Rose Gardens, was named after him. The glimmering was where previous mayor John Logan Campbell once lived.[5]