Jack Lyon
| Jack Lyon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Member of Parliament, Waitemata | |
|
In office 28 November 1935 – 26 May 1941 † | |
| Preceded by | Alexander Harris |
| Succeeded by | Mary Dreaver |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
15 February 1898 London, United Kingdom |
| Died |
26 May 1941 (aged 43) Crete |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch |
British Army New Zealand Military Forces |
| Years of service |
1914–1919 1939–1941 |
| Rank |
.svg.png){kind=small} Captain |
| Battles/wars |
First World War |
William John (Jack) Lyon (15 February 1898 – 26 May 1941) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He was killed in World War II while serving with the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force.
Early years
Lyon was born in London, England, and educated at a Brighton Grammar School. He won a scholarship to Oxford University, but did not take it up as he enlisted in the British Army, becoming an officer in the Royal Sussex Regiment.
Local politician
Lyon was active in the UK Labour Party.[1] His health was damaged by mustard gas, so he emigrated to New Zealand in 1927 where he lived in Hastings. Lyon served on the Hastings Borough Council and Napier Harbour Board before moving to Auckland in 1931.
Member of Parliament
| Parliament of New Zealand | ||||
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | |
| 1935–1938 | 25th | Waitemata | Labour | |
| 1938–1941 | 26th | Waitemata | Labour | |
Lyon contested the Hawkes Bay electorate in the 1928 election, but was beaten by the incumbent, Hugh Campbell of the Reform Party.[1][2]
As a Labour Party MP, he represented the Waitemata electorate from the 1935 general election to 1941.[3] Out of respect to Lyon, the National Party decided not to contest the by-election resulting from his death.[4] The by-election resulted in the return of the third woman to the New Zealand House of Representatives, Labour's Mary Dreaver.[5]
Death
With the outbreak of war, Lyon enlisted in the New Zealand Military Forces, and was a Captain with the 18th Battalion when he was killed during the Battle of Crete.
Notes
- 1 2 "Death in Action". The New Zealand Herald. LXXVIII (23984). 6 June 1941. p. 9. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 187.
- ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 213.
- ↑ "Waitemata Seat". The New Zealand Herald. LXXVIII (23985). 7 June 1941. p. 10. Retrieved 29 June 2014.
- ↑ Laracy, Hugh. "Dreaver, Mary Manson". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
References
- Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
- Gustafson, Barry (1986). From the Cradle to the Grave: a biography of Michael Joseph Savage. Auckland: Reed Methuen. p. 286. ISBN 0-474-00138-5.
External links
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Alexander Harris |
Member of Parliament for Waitemata 1935–1941 |
Succeeded by Mary Dreaver |