Bill Parry (politician)
Bill Parry | |
---|---|
13th Minister of Internal Affairs | |
In office 6 December 1935 – 13 December 1949 | |
Prime Minister | Michael Joseph Savage Peter Fraser |
Preceded by | Alexander Young |
Succeeded by | William Bodkin |
2nd Minister of Social Security | |
In office 30 April 1940 – 13 December 1949 | |
Prime Minister | Peter Fraser |
Preceded by | Walter Nash |
Succeeded by | Jack Watts |
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Auckland Central | |
In office 17 December 1919 – 4 November 1946 | |
Preceded by | Albert Glover |
Succeeded by | Bill Anderton |
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Arch Hill | |
In office 27 November 1946 – 27 July 1951 | |
Succeeded by | John Stewart |
Personal details | |
Born | 1878 Orange, New South Wales, Australia |
Died | 27 November 1952 Auckland, New Zealand |
Political party | Labour |
Spouse |
Georgina Fowke (m. 1906) |
Children | Two daughters |
William Edward Parry (1878 – 27 November 1952) was a New Zealand politician and trade unionist.
Biography
Early life and career
Parry was born at Orange, New South Wales, Australia. He had 12 siblings and the family faced hardship. His father, John Parry, was a goldminer and prospector, and at age 12, Bill Parry left school and went mining himself in Barmedman. A strong, energetic and large sized man, Parry was a noted cyclist in his youth and also became a skilled shooter and angler. He first came to New Zealand in 1902 and lived in Auckland for a short time and went mining in Karangahake. After two years, Parry returned to Australia. On 15 April 1906, he married Georgina Fowke at Wyalong in New South Wales. Later that year, they and some family members arrived in New Zealand.[1][2]
Parry was a miner at
He was imprisoned at Mount Eden Prison for four months during the 1912 Waihi miners' strike for the part he played. His leadership and imprisonment during the strike would bestow him with great mana in the labour movement in New Zealand for the remainder of his life. However, he found himself blacklisted in Waihi and then moved to Palmerston North taking up a position as an organiser for the Manawatu Flaxmills Employees' Union. There he became involved in the 1913 waterfront and general strike where the United Federation of Labour sent him to Australia on a fund-raising mission. He joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and was a member of the party's national executive.[1]
He moved to Auckland in 1915 to be an agent for the Maoriland Worker newspaper. He opposed conscription during World War I, but not during World War II. When the SDP merged into the new Labour Party in 1916 Parry became a founding member. From 1917 to 1918 he was secretary of the Waikato Flaxmills Employees' Union, after which time he briefly became secretary of the New Zealand Miners' Federation.[1]
During the
Member of Parliament
Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1919–1922 | 20th | Auckland Central | Labour | ||
1922–1925 | 21st | Auckland Central | Labour | ||
1925–1928 | 22nd | Auckland Central | Labour | ||
1928–1931 | 23rd | Auckland Central | Labour | ||
1931–1935 | 24th | Auckland Central | Labour | ||
1935–1938 | 25th | Auckland Central | Labour | ||
1938–1943 | 26th | Auckland Central | Labour | ||
1943–1946 | 27th | Auckland Central | Labour | ||
1946–1949 | 28th | Arch Hill | Labour | ||
1949–1951 | 29th | Arch Hill | Labour |
Parry represented the electorates of Auckland Central from 1919 to 1946, and then Arch Hill from 1946 to 1951, when he retired.[4]
When the First Labour Government was formed after the 1935 election, Parry was appointed Minister of Internal Affairs[5] and Minister in Charge of Pensions.[6] In the latter role, he implemented Social Security in 1938 after it was introduced by Walter Nash.[7][8] The minor ministerial role was converted to a full role when in June 1946, Parry became Minister of Social Security.[9] Parry lost his ministerial roles when Labour was defeated in the 1949 election.[10]
Parry was not regarded as an outstanding politician or policy creator, but more of an administrator. He did not contribute to Labour's policy development in a major way but was nevertheless Michael Joseph Savage's automatic choice as minister due to their strong friendship and long-standing activism. He was not an ideologue and held beliefs in active and responsible citizenship. He had a broad view of politics and saw socialism as a means of fulfilling the practical needs of the people.[1]
As a minister he advocated for higher pension payments than Savage would allow and was interested in
In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.[13]
Later life and death
Parry died on 27 November 1952 in Auckland. He was survived by his wife and their two daughters.[1][7]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h Gustafson, Barry. "Parry, William Edward". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 8 December 2013.
- ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 293.
- ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 105.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 225.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 82.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 127.
- ^ a b Gustafson 1980, p. 164.
- ^ McLintock, A. H., ed. (22 April 2009) [First published in 1966]. "Scope of Legislation of 1938". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage / Te Manatū Taonga. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 83.
- ^ Wilson 1985, pp. 82f.
- ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 147.
- ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 239.
- ^ "Official jubilee medals". Evening Post. Vol. CXIX, no. 105. 6 May 1935. p. 4. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
References
- ISBN 0-474-00138-5.
- ISBN 0-19-647986-X.
- Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.