John "Jack" Allen Cowell Kennedy Nivison, CBE

Order of the British Empire

The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...

, JP

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

, was a former President of the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man

President of the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man

The President of the Legislative Council is the principal officer of the Legislative Council of the Isle of Man. Until 1980, the Lieutenant Governor presided ex officio. From 1980 to 1990, the members elected a President from among their number. Since 1990, the President of Tynwald has been elected...

.

He was first elected as an MHK

Member of the House of Keys

Member of the House of Keys, or MHK is the title given to a person who has been elected into the House of Keys, the lower house of Tynwald, the parliament of the Isle of Man. There are twenty-four Members of the House of Keys. Elections are held every five years; the last election took place in...

 for Middle

Middle (sheading)

Middle is one of six sheadings in the Isle of Man and consists of the parishes of Braddan, Marown and Santon or Santan. It lies to the east of the island. Historically it consisted of Braddan, Santan and Onchan. It is also a House of Keys constituency, electing one MHK.-MHKs & Elections:-External...

 in 1948 and became a Member of the Legislative Council in 1962. He continued as a Member of the Council until his retirement in 1988, having completed 40 years of
service. He was elected to be the first ever President of the Legislative Council between 1980 and 1988.

He also served as Chairman of the Board of Social Security, in which role he was instrumental in carrying forward the National Insurance

National Insurance

National Insurance in the United Kingdom was initially a contributory system of insurance against illness and unemployment, and later also provided retirement pensions and other benefits...

 Reciprocal Agreement, also on the Airports Board, and the Tourist Board. He was also for some time, Chairman of the Isle of Man Branch of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association

Commonwealth Parliamentary Association

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organisation, of British origin, which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights...

.

Jack Nivison was a man well recognised in the community, as well as in Tynwald

Tynwald

The Tynwald , or more formally, the High Court of Tynwald is the legislature of the Isle of Man. It is claimed to be the oldest continuous parliamentary body in the world, consisting of the directly elected House of Keys and the indirectly chosen Legislative Council.The Houses sit jointly, for...

, and he was greatly
involved in many aspects of Island life, being the chairman of many a country eisteddfod, an Onchan Commissioner and Captain of the Parish

Captain of the Parish

The Captain of the Parish is an official in each parish in the Isle of Man—formerly the title was Captain of the Parish Militia, but it is now only a titular honour...

 of Onchan

Onchan

Onchan , is a village in the parish of Onchan on the Isle of Man. It is at the north end of Douglas Bay. Although administratively a village, it has the second largest population on the island, after Douglas, with which it forms a conurbation....

. The Onchan Stadium was renamed Nivsion Stadium in his honour in July 2004 with members of his family in attendance.

He was a founder member of the Onchan Silver Band

Onchan Silver Band

The Onchan Silver Band is a community-based fourth section band based on the Isle of Man.- Early years :The formation of the Onchan Silver Band was first proposed on Monday 4 January 1937 at a public meeting held in St Peter's parish hall, Onchan. The essential components required were a keen...

 and despite having put down his trombone early on, maintained very strong links with the band, latterly as its president, until his death. In 2004 The band created the "Jack Nivision Memorial Shield" awarded annually to a member of the band for their dedication and enthusiasm over the previous year.

Government positions

• Chairman of the Board of Social Services
  Department of Social Care (Isle of Man)
  The Department of Social Care is one of nine departments of the Isle of Man Government. It was created on 1 April 2010, taking on the social services and social security functions of the former Department of Health and Social Security as well as the social housing function of the former Department...
  
  , 1951-1976