New Zealand politician and prime minister (195760), born in Kidderminster, Worcester, WC England, UK. From 1919 to 1960 he served on the national executive of the New Zealand Labour Party, encouraging the adoption of a moderate reform programme in the Christian Socialist tradition. An MP from 1929, he held numerous ministerial appointments from 1936 onwards, and in World War 2 was deputy prime minister, heading a special mission to the USA (19424). He became prime minister with a government possessing a majority of only one, so his period in office saw few political innovations.
Walter Nash| 27th Prime Minister of New Zealand | |
|---|---|
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In office 20 September 1957 – 12 December 1960 |
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| Preceded by | Keith Holyoake |
| Succeeded by | Keith Holyoake |
| Born |
11 February 1904 Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England |
| Died |
4 June 1968 Wellington, New Zealand |
| Constituency | Hutt |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | Lotty May Easton, married 1906 |
| Religion | Christian Socialist |
Sir Walter Nash, GCMG (12 February 1882–4 June 1968) served as Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1957 to 1960 and was also highly influential in his role as Minister of Finance.
Early life
Nash was born in Kidderminster, a town in the English county of Worcestershire.
In 1906 Nash married Lotty May Easton and established a shop.
After arriving in Wellington, in mid-1909, Nash became secretary to a local tailor.
Nash's financial situation deteriorated, however, when the tailor's firm that he worked for (and was a shareholder of) declined. Nash and his family moved to Palmerston North where he became a salesman for a wool and cloth merchant.
Early political career
Nash had briefly been involved with the first Labour Party, established in 1911, but this association had been interrupted by his financial difficulties. In 1918, however, he helped to establish the New Plymouth branch of the modern New Zealand Labour Party and he became highly active. The following year Nash was elected to the party's national executive.
In 1920 Nash and his wife travelled to Europe, attending various socialist conferences. When they returned to New Zealand, in January 1921, Nash was fined for importing "seditious literature". Despite the reputation that this fine gave him, among his fellow socialists, Nash was one of the more moderate members of the Labour Party.
A year after he had returned to Wellington, in 1922, Nash was elected national secretary of the Labour Party.
Nash stood for election in the Hutt electorate in the 1925 elections and 1928 elections but was not successful until the 1929 by-election. In Parliament Nash became one of Labour's main finance spokesmen.
Minister of Finance
When Labour, led by Michael Joseph Savage, won the 1935 elections Nash was appointed to Cabinet as Minister of Finance, although he also held a number of more minor positions.
New Zealand's economy was in poor shape at the time of Nash's appointment as Finance Minister and he was very busy for the early part of his ministerial career. Nash introduced a number of substantial changes, in an attempt to improve the situation, including the nationalisation of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand.
After returning to New Zealand he became involved in disputes within the Labour Party about economic policy. Nash was also attacked by the more radical socialists in the party who saw Nash's pragmatic economic policies as too moderate. Nash, however, was supported by both Savage and Fraser and emerged relatively unscathed.
With Savage seriously ill the first years of World War II were difficult for the Labour Party. For a time Nash served as New Zealand's diplomatic representative in the United States. At the end of the war Nash attended the conferences to create the United Nations and also recommended that New Zealand join the International Monetary Fund. Nash was elected leader of the Labour Party unopposed.
As Leader of the Opposition Nash is not generally regarded as having been a success. In 1954 a majority of the caucus was in favour of a new leader but pressure from the unions allowed Nash to survive the subsequent vote. Nash became Prime Minister.
Prime Minister
When Nash took office the country's financial situation was found to be worse than the previous government had admitted, with balance of payments a serious concern. This was fuelled by the National Party claiming that Nash and Nordmeyer were exaggerating the extent of the problem. The situation was exacerbated by Nash's frequent absences from the country, leaving Nordmeyer and other Labour ministers to defend the government's policies themselves.
Nash was also criticised for failing to act in the controversy over the 1959 rugby tour of South Africa, which country was under an apartheid government.
In the 1960 election Labour was defeated by the National Party and Nash became Leader of the Opposition once again.
Later life
Nash, now nearly eighty years old, was not as active as he once had been. Nash, however, refused to step down partly because of a desire to continue his work and partly due to a reluctance to see Arnold Nordmeyer succeed him. In 1963, however, Nash finally retired as leader of the Labour Party and Nordmeyer was chosen to replace him.
Nash remained the MP for Hutt until his death.
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