Sir Joseph (George) Ward - Early life, Early political career, First premiership, Leader of the Opposition, Second premiership, Trivia
New Zealand statesman and prime minister (190612, 192830), born in Melbourne, Victoria, NE Australia. He established a successful business in New Zealand, and entered parliament in 1877. Noted for his social welfare measures, he created the world's first ministry of public health (1901) and the National Provident Fund (1910), and made provision for widows' pensions (1911). He was knighted in 1901.
| 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand | |
|---|---|
|
In office 6 August 1906 – 28 March 1912 10 December 1928 - 28 May 1930 |
|
| Preceded by |
William Hall-Jones (1906) Gordon Coates (1928) |
| Succeeded by |
Thomas Mackenzie (1912) George Forbes (1930) |
| Born |
26 April 1856 Melbourne, Australia |
| Died |
8 July 1930 Wellington, New Zealand |
| Constituency | Awarua, Invercargill |
| Political party | Liberal, United |
| Spouse | Theresa Dorothea De Smidt, married 1883, five children |
| Religion | Catholic |
Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, GCMG (1856 - 1930) was Prime Minister of New Zealand on two occasions in the early 20th century.
Early life
Ward was born in Melbourne, on 26 April 1856.
Joseph Ward received his formal education at primary schools in Melbourne and Bluff.
Early political career
Ward became involved in local politics very quickly.
In 1887, Ward successfully stood for Parliament, winning the seat of Awarua. Politically, Ward was a supporter of politicians such as Julius Vogel and Robert Stout, leaders of the liberal wing of Parliament — Ward's support was unusual in the far south.
In 1891, when the newly-founded Liberal Party came to power, the new Prime Minister, John Ballance, appointed Ward to the position of Postmaster General. Later, when Richard Seddon became Prime Minister after Ballance's death, Ward became Treasurer (Minister of Finance).
Ward's increasing occupation with government affairs led to neglect of his own business interests, however, and Ward's personal finances began to deteriorate. Ward actually gained considerable popularity as a result of his financial troubles — Ward was widely seen as a great benefactor of the Southland region, and public perceptions were that he was being persecuted by his enemies over an honest mistake.
Gradually, Ward rebuilt his businesses, and paid off his debtors. As Seddon's long tenure as Prime Minister continued, some suggested that Ward should challenge Seddon for the leadership, but Ward was unwilling. It was generally agreed in the party that Ward would succeed him, although the return journey would take two months — William Hall-Jones became Prime Minister until Ward arrived.
First premiership
Ward was not seen by most as being of the same calibre as Seddon. The diverse interests of the Liberal Party, many believed, had been held together only by Seddon's strength of personality and his powers of persuasion — Ward was not seen as having the same qualities. The Liberal Party's two main support bases, the left-leaning urban workers and the conservative small farmers, were increasingly at odds, and Ward lacked any coherent strategy to solve the problem — any attempt to please one group simply alienated the other.
Ward, who most believed had finished his political career, took a position on the backbenches, and refused several requests to resume the leadership of the disorganised Liberals.
Leader of the Opposition
On 11 September 1913, however, Ward finally accepted the leadership of the Liberal Party once again. Ward extracted a number of important concessions from the party, insisting on a very high level of personal control — Ward felt that the party's previous lack of direction was the primary cause for its failure.
On 12 August 1915, Ward and accepted a proposal by William Massey and the governing Reform Party to form a joint administration for World War I. Relations between Ward and Massey were not good — besides their political differences, Ward was an Irish Catholic, and Massey was an Irish Protestant.
In the 1919 elections, Ward himself lost the seat of Awarua, and left Parliament. Ward contested the seat under the "Liberal" label, despite the fact that the remnants of the Liberal Party were now calling themselves by different names — his opponents characterised him as living in the past, and of attempting to fight the same battles over again.
In 1928, however, the remnants of the Liberal Party reasserted themselves as the new United Party, focused around George Forbes (leader of one faction of the Liberals), Bill Veitch (leader of another faction), and Albert Davy (a former organiser for the Reform Party). In the end, Davy invited Ward himself to step in as a compromise candidate, perhaps hoping that Ward's status as a former Prime Minister would create a sense of unity.
Second premiership
Ward accepted the offer, and became leader of the new United Party. In the 1928 election campaign, Ward startled both his supporters and his audience by promising to borrow £70 million in the course of a year in order to revive the economy — this is believed to have been a mistake caused by Ward's failing eyesight. With the backing of the Labour Party, Ward became Prime Minister again, twenty-two years after his original appointment.
Ward's health continued to decline, however.
Ward died shortly afterwards, on 8 July.
User Comments Add a comment…