=Allan, John=, Member for the riding of West Hamilton in the Ontario Legislature, was born at Guelph, Ont., on May 22, 1856, the son of James and Agnes (Rodgers) Allan. His boyhood was spent in the city of which he is now an elected representative, and he was educated in the public schools there. On leaving school in 1871 he qualified himself for mechanical pursuits with William Hancock and John Taylor of Hamilton, remaining with them for three years. From 1874 to 1879 he followed his trade in the Western States and in the latter year removed to New York City. In 1885 he became a builder on his own account in the American metropolis and continued there for the next twenty-one years. He prospered to an extent that in 1906, at the age of fifty, he was able to retire from business and return to the city where he had spent his youth and for which he had always cherished a deep affection. His friends persuaded him to enter municipal politics in 1908 and he has proven a most useful public servant. He was Alderman, 1908-9; Controller, 1910-12; Chairman of the Parks Board, 1911; Mayor for the years 1913 and 1914. His regime was marked by businesslike methods and he was popular with all classes of the community. In 1914 on the retirement of Sir John Hendrie, the present Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, who had long represented the riding of West Hamilton in the Ontario Legislature, Mr. Allan was nominated by the Conservative party and elected. As a legislator his services as a member of the standing committees of the House are especially valued. In religion he is a Presbyterian and is a member of the following organizations: Commercial Club, A.F. & A.M., and Knights of Pythias. In 1881 he married Catherine, daughter of Conrad Euler. * * * * *