John Luke (New Zealand politician)
CMG | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Wellington North | |
| In office 12 February 1918 – 14 November 1928 | |
| Preceded by | Alexander Herdman |
| Succeeded by | Charles Chapman |
| 20th Mayor of Wellington | |
| In office 30 April 1913 – 9 May 1921 | |
| Deputy | George Frost |
| Preceded by | David McLaren |
| Succeeded by | Robert Wright |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Wellington Suburbs | |
| In office 2 December 1908 – 7 December 1911 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 16 July 1858 Penzance, Cornwall, England |
| Died | 7 December 1931 (aged 73) Wellington, New Zealand |
| Political party | Liberal (1908–1914) Reform (1914–1928) |
| Spouse |
Jacobina McGregor (m. 1880) |
| Relations | Charles Luke (brother) |
Sir John Pearce Luke
Early life
Born at
City council and mayor
Luke was first elected to the city council in 1898.[4] For many years he was president of the New Zealand Engineers and Iron Masters Association, and was actively associated with the Wellington Industrial Association, the Wellington District Hospital Board, the Wellington Technical Education Board, and the Navy League.
Luke contested the 1905 Wellington City mayoral election and of the six candidates, he came fourth, with Thomas William Hislop elected.[5]
John Luke showed leadership and courage during the 1918 flu epidemic. He was a prominent "'abstainer"". All hotel bars were closed, but some local doctors said that alcoholic stimulants were a vital nostrum for their patients. So the Town Hall was a distribution point for prescribed spirits for them, and Mayor Luke took charge of "the Town Hall bar". One hopeful said to Luke that he hadn't got an order (for a bottle of brandy) but he could get one from his doctor. "Who is your doctor?" said Luke, then "he's here in my room now, I'll bring him out". When he returned with the doctor, all that could be heard was the clatter of his boots as he disappeared down the corridor! In 1920 Luke hosted a lavish town hall reception for the visit of the Prince of Wales.[6]
Member of Parliament
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1908–1911 | 17th | Wellington Suburbs | Liberal | ||
| 1918–1919 | 19th | Wellington North | Reform | ||
| 1919–1922 | 20th | Wellington North | Reform | ||
| 1922–1925 | 21st | Wellington North | Reform | ||
| 1925–1928 | 22nd | Wellington North | Reform | ||
His parliamentary career began in 1908 with his election as member for Wellington Suburbs for the Liberal Party, but he lost his seat at the 1911 general election to Reform candidate William Henry Dillon Bell.[7] From 1911 until 1918 he was not a member of Parliament, and was defeated for Wellington South, standing now as a Reform candidate, by Labour's Alfred Hindmarsh in 1914.[8] He was re-elected to Parliament in the 1918 by-election as a member of the Reform Party and again 1919, in the Wellington North electorate.[7] After the 1922 election he was put forward as a candidate for Speaker of the House of Representatives after the previous speaker Sir Frederic Lang lost his parliamentary seat. As the Reform government had lost their overall majority, Luke declined nomination for speaker to allow an independent MP, Charles Statham, to become speaker thereby helping the government's voting strength.[9] He held this electorate continuously until the 1928 general election, when he was defeated by the Labour candidate Charles Chapman, by a margin of 47 votes.[7]
Luke was married in 1880 to Jacobina McGregor. He appointed a
Miscellanea
- Lukes Lane in the Wellington CBDis named after the family business, Lukes' Foundry, which was sited there; years later, Sir John Pearce's sons set up Luke Bros foundry near Chaffers Street. Lukes' Foundry built New Zealand's first steel ship, and several lighthouses.
- Sir John Pearce and his wife, Lady Jacobina Luke, donated the decorative iron gates at the entrance to Central Park, in Brooklyn, Wellington.
- Lady Luke was President of the Victoria League Wellington Branch from 1920 to 1922[16]
References
Citations
- ^ a b "Types of Citizen - In and About Wellington - Mr. J. P. Luke, Mayor". The Evening Post. Vol. LXXXV, no. 122. 24 May 1913. p. 9.
- ^ "The Management of the Government Insurance Association". The Evening Post. Vol. XXXII, no. 30. 22 June 1886. p. 2.
- ^ "Death". The Evening Post. Vol. XXXII, no. 187. 23 December 1886. p. 2.
- ^ "Mr Luke Successful". Ashburton Guardian. 1 March 1918. p. 3. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
- ^ "Wellington City Council". The Free Lance. Vol. V, no. 43. 29 April 1905. p. 16. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
- ISBN 0-7900-1107-7.
- ^ OCLC 154283103.
- ^ Hislop, J. (1915). The General Election, 1914. National Library. pp. 1–33. Retrieved 8 January 2016.
- ^ Parliamentary Debates. Vol. 199. Wellington. 1923. pp. 6–8.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ "No. 13745". The Edinburgh Gazette. 23 September 1921. p. 1568.
- ^ "No. 30111". The London Gazette (6th supplement). 4 June 1917. p. 5457.
- ^ a b "Sir John P. Luke". The Evening Post. Vol. CXII, no. 138. 8 December 1931. p. 9. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
- ^ "The Late Sir John Luke". The Press. Vol. LXVII, no. 20416. 10 December 1931. p. 11. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
- ^ "Details". Wellington City Council. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
- ^ "Details". Wellington City Council. 12 July 2012. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
- ^ Stokes, Brian (1979) A History of Victoria League for Commonwealth Friendship in New Zealand
Bibliography
- Perry, Stuart (1969), No Mean City - A Guide to the Portraits, Regalia, etc in and around The Town Hall, Wellington, New Zealand, Wellington: Wellington City Council
External links
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