John Beals Chandler

Sir John Beals Chandler (21 February 1887 – 19 January 1962), frequently referred to as J. B. Chandler, was the Lord Mayor of Brisbane from 1940 to 1952, and the Member for the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, representing the electorate of Hamilton from the October 1943 by-election to the 1947 state election, where he chose not to seek re-election.

In 2021 John Beals Chandler was inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame.

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 Mossman, Queensland. and Roger Staniforth Chandler (age 25).

A committed Anglican, Chandler lived out his belief that capitalism should operate in the interests of the many rather than the few.

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.

The St Lucia park “Sir John Chandler Park” was named in his honour in 1959. It lies on one half of the Long Pocket reach, at the end of Meiers Road. Image

Chandler was inducted into the Queensland Business Leaders Hall of Fame in 2021, for his significant contributions to retail and radio broadcasting networks in Queensland and exceptional community service.