Wally Hudson

Walter Arthur Hudson (18 July 1897 – 9 June 1972) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Wally Hudson
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Mornington
In office
27 November 1946  30 November 1963
Dunedin City Councillor
In office
19 June 1945  19 November 1947
Preceded byJim Munro
Personal details
Born18 July 1897
Caversham, New Zealand
Died9 June 1972
Dunedin, New Zealand
Political partyLabour
Spouse(s)Esther Marion Campbell
RelativesFred Jones (brother-in-law)
ProfessionBookbinder

Biography

Early life and career

Hudson was born in Caversham in 1897. He was educated at the Caversham School and later Caversham Technical College. He then entered the printing trade and became a bookbinder. In 1920 he married Esther Marion Campbell. In 1930 Hudson became an executive member of the Otago branch of the Printing Trades Union and served for four years as president, later becoming vice-president of the national union and later a life member. Hudson was also involved in various local bodies and organisations, such as the Caversham School Committee, Caversham Ratepayers' Association, and Disabled Servicemen's League.[1]

He served in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force for two years in France during World War I. Other than those two years he lived his whole life in Dunedin.[2] His sister Jessie married Labour MP Fred Jones. Wally and his wife helped Jones considerably with his constituency work, especially during World War II when Jones when was engrossed in his role as Minister of Defence.[3]

Political career

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate Party
19461949 28th Mornington Labour
19491951 29th Mornington Labour
19511954 30th Mornington Labour
19541957 31st Mornington Labour
19571960 32nd Mornington Labour
19601963 33rd Mornington Labour

He joined the Labour Party in 1928 and served in many positions in the local party. He was president of the Dunedin South Electorate Committee, secretary of the Caversham branch and vice-president of the Otago Labour Representation Committee.[1]

Hudson was also active in local-body politics. In 1944 he stood on the Labour ticket for the Dunedin City Council, and was the highest polling unsuccessful candidate.[4] He was appointed to the city council in 1945 to fill a vacancy caused by the death of Jim Munro.[5] He lost his seat in 1947 along with all other Labour candidates. At the 1950 local elections he was elected to the Otago Hospital Board.[6] He was to remain a member of the Hospital Board for nine years. For six years he was chairman of the Hospital Board's works committee.[2]

He represented the Mornington electorate in the city of Dunedin from the 1946 election to 1963, when he retired.[7] He was the only representative of the Mornington electorate, as the years of its existence match the years that Hudson was a Member of Parliament.[8] Hudson was actively interested in healthcare matters and was twice New Zealand's representative to international parliamentary conferences on the topic in Kenya and Yugoslavia.[2]

Later life and death

In 1958 he had been appointed to the board of trustees of the Otago Savings' Bank. He was president of the board for two terms; 1962–63 and 1968–69. He was still a board member at the time of his death.[2]

Hudson died in 1972, aged 74, after a short illness.[2]

Notes

  1. "Labour Candidate". Otago Daily Times (26274). 4 October 1946. p. 4. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  2. "Former Labour M.P. For Mornington Dies". Otago Daily Times. 10 June 1972. p. 11.
  3. Olssen, Erik. "Jones, Frederick". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  4. "Dunedin City Council". Otago Daily Times (25547). 29 May 1944. p. 6. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  5. "City Council Vacancy". Otago Daily Times (25874). 19 June 1945. p. 4. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
  6. "Two Seats Gained". Otago Daily Times (27551). 20 November 1950. p. 4. Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  7. Wilson 1985, p. 206.
  8. Wilson 1985, p. 267.

References

  • Gustafson, Barry (1986). From the Cradle to the Grave: a biography of Michael Joseph Savage. Auckland: Reed Methuen. ISBN 0-474-00138-5.
  • Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
New Zealand Parliament
New constituency Member of Parliament for Mornington
1946–1963
Constituency abolished
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