James Parr (politician)
(Christopher) James Parr, later known as Sir James Parr (18 May 1869 – 2 May 1941) was a New Zealand lawyer and politician of the Reform Party. He was Mayor of Auckland, a Member of Parliament representing the Eden electorate, a Minister in the Reform Government, High Commissioner in London and a Member of the New Zealand Legislative Council.
Early life
Parr was born in Pukerimu near Cambridge in 1869.[1]
Political career
| Parliament of New Zealand | ||||
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | |
| 1914–1919 | 19th | Eden | Reform | |
| 1919–1922 | 20th | Eden | Reform | |
| 1922–1925 | 21st | Eden | Reform | |
| 1925–1926 | 22nd | Eden | Reform | |
Parr was Mayor of Auckland from 1911 to 1915, succeeded by Sir James Gunson.
He represented the electorate of Eden from 1914 to 1926.[2] He was Minister of Education (3 April 1920 – 24 April 1926) in three successive ministries of the Reform Government.[3] He was Minister of Public Health (3 April 1920 – 27 June 1923) under William Massey.[4] He was Minister of Justice (27 June 1923 – 18 January 1926) under Massey, Francis Bell and Gordon Coates.[3] He was Postmaster General and Minister of Telegraphs (30 May 1925 – 24 April 1926) under Coates.[5]
He resigned from Parliament on 26 March 1926 to take up his appointment as High Commissioner in London.[1][2] The resulting by-election was won by Rex Mason of the Labour Party,[6] because the Reform Party vote was split.
Parr was High Commissioner to the United Kingdom for just over three years (1 August 1926 – 31 December 1929).[7] On his return to New Zealand, he was appointed a member of the Legislative Council on 9 October 1931.[8] His wife died on 4 November 1933 and in mid November, he had been appointed High Commissioner again.[1] He resigned from the Legislative council effective 31 December 1933[8] and commenced his second term as High Commissioner the following day; a post that he held until 31 August 1936.[7] He retired in Berkhamsted, England and remarried there.[1]
Awards and death
Parr was made CMG in 1914, and KCMG in 1924.[2] He died on 2 May 1941 in Berkhamsted.[1]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Bush, Graham W. A. "Parr, Christopher James 1869–1941". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 4 April 2011.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Scholefield 1950, p. 131.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Scholefield 1950, pp. 45–46.
- ↑ Scholefield 1950, p. 45.
- ↑ Scholefield 1950, p. 46.
- ↑ Scholefield 1950, p. 125.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Scholefield 1950, p. 175.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Scholefield 1950, p. 82.
References
- Scholefield, Guy (1950) [3rd First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John Bollard |
Member of Parliament for Eden 1914–1926 |
Succeeded by Rex Mason |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Lemuel Bagnall |
Mayor of Auckland City 1911–1915 |
Succeeded by James Gunson |
| Preceded by Francis Bell |
Minister of Education 1920–1926 |
Succeeded by Robert Alexander Wright |
| Minister of Public Health 1920–1923 |
Succeeded by Maui Pomare | |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by James Allen |
High Commissioner of New Zealand to the United Kingdom 1926–1930 1935–1936 |
Succeeded by Thomas Wilford |
| Preceded by Thomas Wilford |
Succeeded by Bill Jordan | |
|