Bob Semple
George Mitchell | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 October 1873 Sofala, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 31 January 1955 (aged 81) New Plymouth, New Zealand |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | Margaret Semple |
Robert Semple (21 October 1873 – 31 January 1955) was a union leader and later Minister of Public Works for the first Labour Government of New Zealand. He is also known for creating the Bob Semple tank.
Early life
He was born in
To avoid the blacklist Semple moved to the
He was jailed in 1913 for supporting the general strike and again in 1916 after fighting conscription for overseas service during World War I. Semple served as the President of the Labour Party from 1926 to 1928.[2]
Semple was a member of the Wellington City Council for a decade between 1925 and 1935. In 1935 he unsuccessfully stood for Mayor of Wellington, coming runner-up to Thomas Hislop.[3] His wife Margaret was also a Wellington City Councillor from 1938 to 1941.[4]
Parliamentary career
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918–1919 | 19th | Wellington South | Labour | ||
| 1928–1931 | 23rd | Wellington East | Labour | ||
| 1931–1935 | 24th | Wellington East | Labour | ||
| 1935–1938 | 25th | Wellington East | Labour | ||
| 1938–1943 | 26th | Wellington East | Labour | ||
| 1943–1946 | 27th | Wellington East | Labour | ||
| 1946–1949 | 28th | Miramar | Labour | ||
| 1949–1951 | 29th | Miramar | Labour | ||
| 1951–1954 | 30th | Miramar | Labour | ||
Semple was elected to the seat of Wellington South Parliament for Labour in a 1918 by-election, but lost the seat in the 1919 general election. In 1928 he won the Wellington East seat, and held it until 1946, when it was renamed Miramar. He then held Miramar until 1954, when he retired.[5]
In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.[6] Semple was a prolific user of "unparliamentary language" during his time as an MP, and was fond of insulting colleagues by calling or comparing them to Australian animals such as kookaburras, kangaroos and dingoes.[7]
During his term in Parliament, Semple held many important infrastructure portfolios, such as Minister of Public Works (1935–1941, 1942–1943) and Minister of Railways (1941–1949).[8] Semple was seen by many as the public face of the first Labour government's infrastructure investment. He reshaped the Public Works Department by resuming its original function as the development arm of the government by phasing out its focus on relief work from the Great Depression.[1]
During
Notes
- ^ a b c Richardson, Len. "Semple, Robert". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
- ^ Paul, J.T. (1946). Humanism in Politics: New Zealand Labour Party in Retrospect. Wellington, NZ: New Zealand Worker Printing and Publishing. p. 192.
- ^ "Polling in Wellington". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LXXII, no. 22105. 10 May 1935. p. 13. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- ISBN 0-7900-1117-4
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 233.
- ^ "Official jubilee medals". The Evening Post. 6 May 1935. p. 4. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
- ^ Dooney, Laura (7 December 2016). "PhD research highlights unparliamentary language in New Zealand". Stuff. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
- ^ Wilson 1985, pp. 82f.
References
- Hickey, Carina (2010). From Coal Pit to Leather Pit: Life Stories of Robert Semple (PDF) (PhD). Massey University. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
External links
- "1938, photo of presentation to Bob Semple". Papers Past. 1 December 2015.
- "Official opening of highway up Ngauranga Gorge, WEllington, 1939 by Mrs Semple (photo)". Evening Post in Papers Past. 1939.
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