John Robertson (New Zealand politician, born 1875)

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For other people named John Robertson, see John Robertson (disambiguation).
The Honourable
John Robertson
File:John Robertson, 1935.jpg
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Otaki
In office
20 November 1911 – 10 December 1914
Preceded by William Hughes Field
Succeeded by William Hughes Field
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Masterton
In office
27 November 1935 – 25 September 1943
Preceded by George Sykes
Succeeded by Garnet Mackley
Personal details
Born 1875
Scotland
Died 5 August 1952
New Zealand
Political party Labour Party
Children 2

John Robertson (1875 – 5 August 1952) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Biography

Early life

Robertson was born in Scotland, and was a watchmaker by trade. Interested in politics early, he joined the Social Democratic Federation. He was then in 1893 a foundation member of the Independent Labour Party in Britain. In 1895 he became Secretary of the party, the youngest man to hold the job.[1] He emigrated to New Zealand in 1902.[2] He settled in Dunedin and continued his trade as a watchmaker until moving to Palmerston North in 1910.[1]

In 1920 he entered the film trade as the manager of the Crystal Palace Theatre in Christchurch. Upon the formation of the New Zealand Motion Picture Exhibitors' Association in 1927 he became its national secretary. He was in addition a member of both the Government Film Advisory Committee and the New Zealand Film Industry Board.[1]

Political career

Parliament of New Zealand
Years Term Electorate Party
1911–1913 18th Otaki Labour (original)
1913–1914 Changed allegiance to: Social Democrat
1935–1938 25th Masterton Labour
1938–1943 26th Masterton Labour

He represented the Otaki electorate from 1911, when he was elected on the second ballot with Reform Party support, having been nominated by the flax-workers union. He stood Labour Party.[3] though was also endorsed by the New Zealand Socialist Party.[4]

Robertson was the only sitting Labour MP who supported the formation of the Social Democratic Party in 1913 and joined the party.[5] He ran for re-election in Otaki in 1914, but he was defeated by William Hughes Field of the Reform Party.[5] During the 1914 election, Robertson was the Social Democrat's representative in distributing servicemen's votes as he was their most senior MP at the time.[6]

Robertson was the candidate for the Labour Party in the Riccarton electorate in the 1919 election, but came last of the three candidates.[7][8] In 1933 he stood unsuccessfully for a seat on the Wellington City Council on the Labour Party ticket.[9]

Later he represented the Masterton electorate for the Labour Party from 1935 to 1943, when he was again defeated.[5] He was then appointed to the Legislative Council on 31 January 1946 and served until its abolition on 31 December 1950.[10]

He was then an active member of the Miramar branch of the Labour Party.[11]

Death

He died in Wellington aged 76 on 5 August 1952. He was survived by his wife, son and daughter.[1]

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Gustafson 1980, p. 159.
  3. ↑ See talk page
  4. ↑ Gustafson 1980, p. 165.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Wilson 1985, p. 231.
  6. ↑ Gustafson 1980, p. 87.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 163.
  11. ↑ The Standard 13 August 1952

References

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New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Otaki
1911–1914		 Succeeded by
William Hughes Field
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Masterton
1935–1943		 Succeeded by
Garnet Mackley


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