James Thorn

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

James Thorn (1882 – 1956) was a New Zealand politician of the Social Democratic Party and the Labour Party.

He was born in Christchurch, educated at Christchurch Boys High School, and was a bugler in the third New Zealand Contingent to the Boer War in 1900-01.

He worked in the Addington Workshops and as a journalist but was engaged in union and party activity, including 1909-13 in England and Scotland. He became an organiser and candidate for the Social Democratic Party then the Labour Party. He was imprisoned for opposing conscription in World War I.

He represented the electorate of Thames from 1935 to 1946 when the seat was abolished. From 1947 to 1950 he was High Commissioner to Canada, and was President of UNESCO in 1949.

[edit] References

• New Zealand Parliamentary Record 1840-1984 by J. O. Wilson (1985, Government Printer, Wellington)
• From the Cradle to the Grave: a biography of Michael Joseph Savage by Barry Gustafson (1986, Reed Methuen, Auckland) ISBN 0474001385 (with Biographical Appendix)