David Wilson (New Zealand politician)

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Minister of Broadcasting
In office
21 January 1941 – 8 April 1944
Prime MinisterPeter Fraser
Preceded byPeter Fraser
Succeeded byFred Jones
Personal details
Born(1880-07-06)6 July 1880
Wellington, New Zealand
Political partyLabour

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,

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

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. ^ a b Gustafson 1986.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "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

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Government offices
Preceded by Leader of the Legislative Council
1939–1944

1947–1950 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Immigration
1940–1944 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Minister of Broadcasting

1941–1944 		Succeeded by
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by
New Zealand High Commissioner to Canada

1944–1947 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Secretary of the Labour Party
1936–1940 		Succeeded by
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