George Laurenson
| The Honourable George Laurenson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Lyttelton | |
|
In office 1899 – 1913 | |
| Preceded by | John Joyce |
| Succeeded by | James McCombs |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
1857 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died |
19 November 1913 Lyttelton, New Zealand |
| Political party | Liberal (1899-1913) |
| Other political affiliations |
New Liberal (1905) Labour Party |
George Laurenson (1857 – 19 November 1913) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for Lyttelton in the South Island.
Early life
The Lyttelton Times parliamentary correspondent described Laurenson as: "a Scotchman by birth, a Shetlander by education, a New Zealander by adoption, a storekeeper by trade and a yachtsman by preference." [1]
George Laurenson was a successful businessman in Christchurch. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and was educated in the Shetland Islands. Laurenson served on numerous local boards and committees: he was chairman of the Lyttelton Harbour Board and the Canterbury Chamber of Commerce. Laurenson was a member of the Navy League Canterbury (13 March 1905, Item N1, MB-129, Macmillan Brown Library Archives, University of Canterbury).
Member of Parliament
| Parliament of New Zealand | ||||
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | |
| 1899–1902 | 14th | Lyttelton | Liberal | |
| 1902–1905 | 15th | Lyttelton | Liberal | |
| 1905–1908 | 16th | Lyttelton | New Liberal | |
| 1908–1911 | 17th | Lyttelton | Liberal | |
| 1911–1913 | 18th | Lyttelton | Liberal | |
Laurenson represented the Lyttelton electorate in the New Zealand House of Representatives for fourteen years from 1899 to his death in 1913.[2] From 1909 until 1910 he was senior whip of the Liberal Party.[3]
New Liberal Party
Laurenson was the nominal leader or chairman of the New Liberal Party in 1905 though Tommy Taylor was the dominant figure.[4] Like Taylor, Laurenson favoured federation with Australia.[5] Laurenson was one of the few who stood as a New Liberal in the 1905 election and retained his seat. [6] Most, including Taylor were defeated.
Cabinet Minister
On 22 March 1912 he stood in a leadership election against Thomas Mackenzie to decide the successor to Sir Joseph Ward as leader of the Liberal Party, but lost (9 votes to 22). He was subsequently the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Labour, Customs and Marine in Mackenzie's cabinet.[7] In July the Liberal government was defeated, after the defection of some Liberal members like John A. Millar to Reform.[8]
Later life
Laurenson was a lifetime Labour movement sympathizer, but never formally joined the Labour Party though he agreed with the Labour Party's stand during the 1913 general strike, and was often known to have appeared at meetings with the leaders of the Federation of Labour (the 'Red Feds').[9] Laurenson died on 19 November 1913 aged just 60. Laurenson's seat was won by a Labour candidate, James McCombs.[10]
A son of George Laurenson, George Lyttelton Laurenson CBE (1893–1968), was Commissioner of Transport.[11]
Notes
- ↑ Lyttelton Times, 13 June 1902 Missing or empty
|title=(help) n.p. - ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 212.
- ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 279.
- ↑ Whitcher 1966, p. 43.
- ↑ New Zealand Parliamentary Debates, 113: 441 Missing or empty
|title=(help) - ↑ "Results of the Polls". Ashburton Guardian. 7 December 1905. p. 2. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
- ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 75.
- ↑ Hamer 1988, pp. 349–354.
- ↑ Gustafson 1961, p. 4.
- ↑ "Mr McCombs Returned". Northern Advocate. 17 December 1913. p. 4. Retrieved 13 August 2011.
- ↑ NZ Roll of Honour, p. 620)
References
- Gustafson, Barry S. (1961), The advent of the New Zealand Labour Party, 1910-1919 [M.A.- University of Auckland]
- Hamer, David (1988), The New Zealand Liberals: The Years of Power, 1891-1912 (1 ed.), Auckland: Auckland University Press, ISBN 1-86940-014-3
- Whitcher, G. F. (1966), The New Liberal Party, 1905 [M.A.(Hons.) - University of Canterbury]
- Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
- Wood, G. Anthony, ed. (1996). Ministers and Members: In the New Zealand Parliament. Dunedin: Otago University Press.
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Joyce |
Member of Parliament for Lyttelton 1899–1913 |
Succeeded by James McCombs |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Alfred Kidd |
Senior Whip of the Liberal Party 1909–1910 |
Succeeded by William MacDonald |