John Bitchener
OBE | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 20th Minister of Works | |
| In office 10 April 1933 – 6 December 1935 | |
| Prime Minister | George Forbes |
| Preceded by | Gordon Coates |
| Succeeded by | Bob Semple |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Waitaki | |
| In office 17 December 1919 – 1 November 1935 | |
| Preceded by | John Anstey |
| Succeeded by | David Barnes |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1864 Stagsden, Bedfordshire, England |
| Died | (aged 87) New Zealand |
| Resting place | Old Waimate Cemetery |
| Occupation | politician |
John Bitchener
Early life
Bitchener was born in 1864 in Stagsden, Bedfordshire, England.[1] His father was Alfred Bitchener, who was born in 1844 in Cranfield, Bedfordshire, England.[2] His mother was Mary Ann Bitchener (née Welch), and his parents had married on 9 February 1864. John Bitchener had two younger sisters. After his wife's death, Alfred Bitchener decided to emigrate to New Zealand together with his sister Anne, who had married a brother of his late wife. The Bitchener and Welch families arrived in Lyttelton Harbour in January 1875 on the Lady Jocelyn[3] and the Welchs had two infants at the time.[4]
Alfred Bitchener moved to the
Public roles
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919–1922 | 20th | Waitaki | Reform | ||
| 1922–1925 | 21st | Waitaki | Reform | ||
| 1925–1928 | 22nd | Waitaki | Reform | ||
| 1928–1931 | 23rd | Waitaki | Reform | ||
| 1931–1935 | 24th | Waitaki | Reform | ||
Like his father,
He was elected as Member of Parliament for Waitaki in the 1919 general election, but was defeated in 1935.[5] He was Minister of Works under George Forbes from 10 April 1933 to 6 December 1935, when the Coalition Government was defeated.[6]
In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.[7] In the 1950 New Year Honours, Bitchener was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for public and municipal services.[8]
Family
While living in Southland, Bitchener married Mary Laughton from Scotland in Invercargill in 1887. Their son was John Alfred Bitchener.[9] They had a daughter, Jessie Laughton Bitchener, who died on 6 December 1895 at age four.[10] Another daughter, Eva Laughton Bitchener, lived until old age and died in 1985 aged 89.[10] His father, Alfred Bitchener, died suddenly in January 1918 at Waimate.[11] His wife, Mary, died on 17 August 1946.[10] John Bitchener died on 10 March 1952.[10] Apart from John Alfred Bitchener, all of these are buried in the Bitchener family grave at Old Waimate Cemetery.[10]
Notes
- ^ a b c d "Mr. John Bitchener". The Evening Post. Vol. XCVIII, no. 146. 18 December 1919. p. 10. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
- ^ a b c d Cyclopedia Company Limited (1903). "Old Colonists". The Cyclopedia of New Zealand : Canterbury Provincial District. Christchurch: The Cyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
- ^ "The Arrival of the Lady Jocelyn". The Press. Vol. XXIII, no. 2940. 22 January 1875. p. 2. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
- ^ "Lady Jocelyn". Archives New Zealand. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 184.
- ^ Wilson 1985, p. 82.
- ^ "Official jubilee medals". The Evening Post. 6 May 1935. p. 4. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
- ^ "No. 38798". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1949. p. 36.
- ^ "John Alfred Bitchener". Auckland War Memorial Museum. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
- ^ a b c d e "WDC Cemetery Viewer". Waimate District. Archived from the original on 28 April 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
- ^ "Obituary". The Press. Vol. LIV, no. 16118. 24 January 1918. p. 8. Retrieved 13 March 2015.
References
- Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.