Tom Paul (politician)

John Thomas (Tom) Paul (16 August 1874 – 25 July 1964) was a New Zealand compositor, trade unionist, politician, editor, journalist and censor.

Biography

Paul was born in Boort, Victoria, Australia in 1874. He came to New Zealand in 1899.

Paul was a journalist and printer and became President of the Otago Typographical Workers Union in 1902. He was deeply involved with the early development of the Labour Party, from establishing the Independent Political Labour League via the original New Zealand Labour Party and the United Labour Party to the current Labour Party formed in 1916. He was NZLP President 1918 to 1920, and stood as Labour Party candidate for Dunedin South in 1919; losing by only 84 votes against Thomas Sidey of the Liberal Party.

He was also involved in the WEA (Workers' Educational Association), and was Vice-President of the NZ Land Values League which expoused Georgist policies. He was pro-conscription in World War I.

He was appointed to the New Zealand Legislative Council on 22 January 1907. At the expiry of his term, he was reappointed on 22 January 1914, but resigned on 25 November 1919 to stand for Labour in the general election. He was appointed again on 9 September 1946 and served until the abolition of the Legislative Council on 31 December 1950; thus serving for sixteen years in total.

References

• Labour's Path to Political Independence: the Origins and Establishment of the NZLP 1900-19 by Barry Gustafson (1980, Oxford University Press, Auckland)
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand parliamentary record, 1840–1984 (4 ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Invalid |ref=harv (help)