David Wilson (New Zealand politician)

The Honourable David Wilson
27th Leader of the Legislative Council
In office 17 September 1939 – 26 September 1944
Prime Minister	Michael Joseph Savage Peter Fraser
Preceded by	Mark Fagan
Succeeded by	Angus McLagan
In office 25 June 1947 – 27 June 1950
Prime Minister	Peter Fraser
Preceded by	Angus McLagan
Succeeded by	William Polson
28th Minister of Immigration
In office 30 April 1940 – 12 April 1944
Prime Minister	Peter Fraser
Preceded by	Tim Armstrong
Succeeded by	Paddy Webb
3rd Minister of Broadcasting
In office 21 January 1941 – 8 April 1944
Prime Minister	Peter Fraser
Preceded by	Peter Fraser
Succeeded by	Fred Jones
Personal details
Born	(1880-07-06)6 July 1880 Glasgow, Scotland
Died	24 August 1977(1977-08-24) (aged 97) Wellington, New Zealand
Political party	Labour

David Wilson (6 July 1880 – 24 August 1977) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. Through membership of the Legislative Council, he was a minister in the First Labour Government.

Biography

Early life and career

He was born in Glasgow, Scotland, a tailor, and was a union organiser in Derbyshire, England, before migrating to Australia in 1911.^[1] He set up his own tailoring store but went out of business in 1915 following a fall in demand due to men serving overseas.^[2] In 1916 he moved to New Zealand with his wife and two children where he found work in first Nelson then Auckland as a designer and cutter at several tailoring firms.^[2] In 1926 he became a paid Labour Party organiser and secretary of the Auckland Labour Representation Committee (LRC), and assistant to Walter Nash then Jim Thorn.^[3] Wilson unsuccessfully stood for the Auckland City Council on a Labour ticket in the 1921 local elections.^[4] In 1935 he was campaign manager to Labour leader Michael Joseph Savage in Auckland West.^[2]

Wilson served as the Labour Party's Secretary-Treasurer from 1936 until 1940.^[5] Wilson wrote a well publicised pamphlet on progress made by the government in its first year. Titled History in the Making it was published in London by the New Fabian Research Bureau.^[6] In 1938 he was overall campaign manager for Labour's election campaign where Labour boosted their vote percentage by 10 percentage points.^[2]

Political career

He was a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council from 22 September 1937 to 21 September 1944, when his term ended; and 16 June 1947 to 31 December 1950, when the Council was abolished.^[7] He was a Member of the Executive Council in the First Labour Government. He was elected in a caucus ballot after the size of the cabinet was increased by one seat narrowly ahead of Gervan McMillan 19 votes to 18.^[8] He was Minister without Portfolio from 8 November 1939 to 13 December 1949; Minister of Immigration and Minister for State Fire Insurance from 30 April 1940 to 12 April 1944; Minister of Civil Defence from 30 October 1942 to 12 April 1944; Minister of Broadcasting and Associate Minister of National Service from 21 January 1941 to 12 April 1944.^[9] Later Labour leader Bill Rowling, whose father was a personal friend of Wilson, said that while not being in the public eye as much as many of his contemporaries Wilson's contribution to the Labour Party and government policy from 1935 to 1949 were just as substantial.^[10]

Diplomatic career

He was High Commissioner to Canada and New Zealand delegate to the UN General Assembly 1944–47, and to FAO 1945, UNESCO and UNICEF 1946–47.^[1]

Later life and death

Drawing on his experiences he authored two books History in the Making and Preferential Voting System Explained.^[2] He was also an enthusiast for soccer, theatre and travelling.

A 91-year old Wilson was a guest of honour at the first meeting of caucus following Labour's victory in the 1972 election and oversaw the election of the cabinet for the Third Labour Government.^[11]

He died in Wellington Hospital on 24 August 1977. He was survived by his daughter, his wife and son had predeceased him.^[2]

Notes

1. Gustafson 1986.
2. "War Cabinet Minister Wilson Dies". The Dominion. 25 August 1977.
3. Sinclair 1976, p. 66.
4. "Electoral". Vol. LII, no. 106. Auckland Star. 5 May 1921. p. 7. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
5. Paul, J.T. (1946). Humanism in Politics: New Zealand Labour Party in Retrospect. Wellington, NZ: New Zealand Worker Printing and Publishing.
6. Sinclair 1976, p. 132.
7. Wilson 1985, p. 167.
8. Sinclair 1976, p. 193.
9. Wilson 1985, pp. 82–83, 116–117, 131, 167.
10. "Party's Loss Saddens". The Evening Post. 26 August 1977.
11. Grant 2014, p. 220.

References

• Grant, David (2014). The Mighty Totara: The life and times of Norman Kirk. Auckland: Random House. ISBN 9781775535799.
• Gustafson, Barry (1986). From the Cradle to the Grave: a biography of Michael Joseph Savage. Auckland: Reed Methuen. ISBN 0-474-00138-5.
• Sinclair, Keith (1976). Walter Nash. Auckland: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-647949-5.
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.

Government offices
Preceded by Mark Fagan	Leader of the Legislative Council 1939–1944 1947–1950	Succeeded by Angus McLagan
Preceded by Angus McLagan		Succeeded by William Polson
Political offices
Preceded by Tim Armstrong	Minister of Immigration 1940–1944	Succeeded by Paddy Webb
Preceded by Peter Fraser	Minister of Broadcasting 1941–1944	Succeeded by Fred Jones
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Robert M. Firth	New Zealand High Commissioner to Canada 1944–1947	Succeeded by Jim Thorn
Party political offices
Preceded by Jim Thorn	Secretary of the Labour Party 1936–1940	Succeeded by Mick Moohan