Preceded by Alfred James Jones Occupation Businessman Preceded by Arthur Bruce Pie Religion Church of England Succeeded by Frank Roberts | Nationality English Name John Chandler Resting place Cremation Spouse(s) Lydia Isabel Parish Role Legislator | |
 | ||
Born 21 February 1887
Bunwell, Norfolk, England ( 1887-02-21 ) Died January 21, 1962, St Lucia, Australia | ||
Political party Queensland People's Party | ||
Sir John Beals Chandler (21 February 1887 – 19 January 1962) was the Lord Mayor of Brisbane from 1940 to 1952, and the Member for the Legislative Assembly of Queensland district of Hamilton from 1943 to 1947.
Contents
- Personal life
- Businesses
- Taringa Shire Council
- Brisbane City Council
- Queensland Legislative Assembly
- Later life
- Legacy
- References
Personal life
John Beals Chandler was born in Bunwell, Norfolk, England, on 21 February 1887. From a poor family, he left school at the age of 8, and emigrated to Queensland in 1907 to work as a sugarcane cutter.
In 1912 he married Lydia Isabel Parish in Brisbane. They had four sons, two of whom were killed in the Second World War.
Businesses
Chandler opened his first hardware store in Elizabeth St, Brisbane in 1913. Chandler increasingly focussed on electrical household appliances and opened a larger store as "J. B. Chandler & Co" in Adelaide St in 1923. This business grew to become the public company Chandlers Pty Ltd, with stores across Queensland and northern NSW, in 1938. Chandlers remained a family-controlled business until 1977.
In 1930 he founded the Brisbane radio station 4BC (4 "Beals Chandler") to stimulate demand for his radio sets. He went on to own various other Queensland radio stations, including 4BH in Brisbane.
Taringa Shire Council
Chandler was a councillor for the Shire of Taringa before the 1925 amalgamation to form Brisbane City Council.
Brisbane City Council
Chandler was elected Lord Mayor in 1940 as the Citizens' Municipal Organisation (CMO) candidate. He was reelected and served out 4 full terms as Lord Mayor, before being defeated in the 1952 election.
Queensland Legislative Assembly
Chandler was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Queensland district of Hamilton as an Independent in 1943. Shortly after his election, he founded the Queensland People's Party. This party later absorbed the Queensland branch of the United Australia Party, and became the Queensland branch of the Liberal Party of Australia in 1948.
Chandler retired from the Legislative Assembly in 1947. He remained Lord Mayor of Brisbane until 1952, the year he was knighted, and remained chairman and managing director of Chandlers until his death.
Later life
Chandler died at home in St Lucia, Brisbane in 1962.
Legacy
The Brisbane suburb of Chandler was named after him.