Alfred Humphrey Hindmarsh

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Alfred Humphrey Hindmarsh (ca.1915)
Hindmarsh , center, penultimate row, 4th from left (1905)

Alfred Humphrey Hindmarsh (* 18th April 1860 in Port Elliot , South Australia , Australia ; † 13. November 1918 in Wellington , New Zealand ) was a politician of the New Zealand Labor Party and its first party leader in the years 1916-1918.

Life

Hindmarsh was born in Port Elliot , South Australia on April 18, 1860, the son of lawyer John Hindmarsh and his wife Mary Long . His grandfather, also called John Hindmarsh , became the first governor of South Australia in 1836 . When Hindmarsh was 10 years old, his mother passed away and his father remarried. He received his education at St Peter's College in Adelaide .

In 1878 the family moved to New Zealand, where Hindmarsh's father was able to work as a barrister in Napier , on the east coast of the North Island and at the same time ran a large sheep farm. Hindmarsh, on the other hand, received his legal training in Dunedin on the country's South Island . In 1891 he was admitted to the bar and solicitor at the Supreme Court in Christchurch and shortly afterwards moved to Wellington , where he became active in the country's Labor movement in the mid-1890s .

Union activities

His first active role was that of Secretary of the Socialist Education League in Wellington and, although he could not be considered a socialist with his politics , was known for his commitment to the eight-hour day on site. He served as the presidency of the Wellington branch of the Federated Seamen's Union of New Zealand from 1895 to 1898 , but controversy over candidates and policies during his tenure split the organization. Furthermore was Hindmarsh the president of the local branch of the Federated Cooks and Stewards 'Union of New Zealand from 1894 and 1913 to President of match-factory Employees' Union , positions that he held until his death in 1918th In 1915 he founded the Workers' Educational Association in Wellington , whose presidency he also took over. Although Hindmarsh was active in a number of organizations, he was not considered one of the leading figures in the union movement of the day.

Activities as a politician

With regard to the representation of the workers 'organization in parliament, Hindmarsh took the position that the Liberal Party represented in parliament should not represent the workers, as part of the trade unionists saw and practice, but that independent workers' candidates should be sent to parliament. At a meeting in February 1898, Hindmarsh accused incumbent Prime Minister Richard Seddon of dictatorial practices by making the labor movement slaves to the liberals and doing little for the working population. The controversy over the nomination for parliament then led to a break in and with the union.

For the rest of his political career, Hindmarsh advocated an independent voice for workers in parliament. After an unsuccessful attempt in 1901, he was elected to the Wellington City Council in 1905 on the list of the Independent Political Labor League , and in 1911 to the Wellington Harbor Board .

In 1905 he ran unsuccessfully for a seat in parliament for the Newtown constituency , then took over the chairmanship of the Independent Political Labor League for two years a year later and won in 1911 for the first New Zealand Labor Party , which emerged from the Independent Political Labor League in 1910 was, the Wellington South constituency . He held the district until his death. In 1912 his party reformed to form the United Labor Party of New Zealand and Hindmarsh was one of its leaders. In July 1916 the new New Zealand Labor Party , which still exists today, was finally founded and Hindmarsh became its faction leader in parliament and its first party leader in the party's parliamentary branch.

Alfred Humphrey Hindmarsh died on 13 November 1918 in Wellington due to a flu virus - infection of the then rampant Spanish flu .

family

Hindmarsh married in the October 3, 1892 Wellington his wife Winifred Taylor . He had four children with her.

literature

Web links

Commons : Alfred Humphrey Hindmarsh  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g Taylor : Hindmarsh, Alfred Humphrey . In: Dictionary of New Zealand Biography . 1996.
  2. ↑ Obituary . In: Ashburton Guardian . Volume XXXIX , Issue 9451 . Ashburton November 14, 1918 ( online [accessed June 5, 2020]).
personal data
SURNAME Hindmarsh, Alfred Humphrey
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hindmarsh, Alfred
BRIEF DESCRIPTION New Zealand Labor Party politician and party chairman
DATE OF BIRTH April 18, 1860
PLACE OF BIRTH Port Elliot , South Australia , Australia
DATE OF DEATH November 13, 1918
Place of death Wellington , New Zealand