Harry Lake
Harry Lake | |
---|---|
31st Minister of Finance | |
In office 12 December 1960 – 21 February 1967 | |
Prime Minister | Keith Holyoake |
Preceded by | Arnold Nordmeyer |
Succeeded by | Robert Muldoon |
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Fendalton | |
In office 26 November 1960 – 21 February 1967 | |
Preceded by | Jack Watts |
Succeeded by | Eric Holland |
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Lyttelton | |
In office 1 September 1951 – 30 November 1957 | |
Preceded by | Terry McCombs |
Succeeded by | Norman Kirk |
Personal details | |
Born | 29 September 1911 Christchurch, New Zealand |
Died | 21 February 1967 Christchurch, New Zealand | (aged 55)
Political party | National |
Spouse | Beryl Bonnington |
Children | 2 |
Occupation | Accountant |
Harry Robson Lake (29 September 1911 – 21 February 1967) was a New Zealand politician who served as Minister of Finance for six years in the second National government in the 1960s. He died of a heart attack when only 55 years old.
Biography
Early life and career
Lake was born in
In 1937 he married Beryl Bonnington with whom he had one son and one daughter. Lake was deemed medically unfit for active service in World War II. Instead he served within New Zealand as a duty officer in the Air Training Corps.[1]
For several years he was an accountancy lecturer at the University of Canterbury. Lake was also a councillor of the Canterbury Manufacturers Association. He was also a member of the Christchurch Drainage Board and was chairman of its finance committee.[1]
Political career
Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1951–1954 | 30th | Lyttelton | National | ||
1954–1957 | 31st | Lyttelton | National | ||
1960–1963 | 33rd | Fendalton | National | ||
1963–1966 | 34th | Fendalton | National | ||
1966–1967 | 35th | Fendalton | National |
After holding a number of roles within the National Party's administration, he stood as the party's candidate for the Riccarton seat in the 1949 election.[2] Riccarton was regarded as a "safe" Labour Party seat, and Lake was unsuccessful.[3] He was the treasurer of the Canterbury-Westland division of the National Party.[2] In the 1951 election, however, Lake won the seat of Lyttelton, which had been held by Labour for nearly forty years. While Lake held his seat in the 1954 election, he lost it in the 1957 election to Norman Kirk (who later became Prime Minister).[4]
In the
Despite holding one of the most powerful political positions in the country, Lake never had a high public profile. In keeping with Holyoake's desire to maintain the status quo, Lake's tenure as minister of finance was relatively uneventful, with the primary focus being on stability. In 1964, Lake suffered his first heart attack, which reduced his energy somewhat but did not impair his ability to perform his role. In 1965 he had another heart attack, by which time he was also ailing from a kidney impairment.[1]
At the end of 1966, New Zealand encountered economic difficulties as the result of a collapse in export prices due to the end of the wool boom. Ultimately Lake did not have a chance to respond to this problem, however.[6]
Death
In February 1967 Lake returned to Christchurch to attend the funeral of his wife's uncle, where he suffered a second heart attack, and died.[7] He was survived by his wife and two children.[1]
He was succeeded as minister of finance by Robert Muldoon, and as MP for Fendalton by Eric Holland.[8]
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f "Minister of Finance Dies Aged 55". The New Zealand Herald. 22 February 1967. p. 1.
- ^ a b Gustafson 1986, p. 325.
- ^ "The General Election, 1949". National Library. 1950. p. 4. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 79.
- ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 85.
- ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 100.
- ^ Obituary in The Press (Christchurch) of 22 February 1967
- ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 90.
References
- ISBN 0-474-00177-6.
- McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8.
- 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
- Research paper on Lake's term as Finance Minister by Brian Easton