Bob Semple
|
The Honourable Bob Semple |
|
|---|---|
Bob Semple in 1935
|
|
| 14th Minister of Railways | |
|
In office 12 December 1941 – 12 December 1949 |
|
| Prime Minister | Peter Fraser |
| Preceded by | Dan Sullivan |
| Succeeded by | William Goosman |
| 7th President of the Labour Party | |
|
In office 1926–1928 |
|
| Vice President |
Jim Thorn (1926-7) John Archer (1927-8) |
| Leader | Harry Holland |
| Preceded by | Tom Brindle |
| Succeeded by | John Archer |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Wellington South |
|
|
In office 1918 – 1919 |
|
| Preceded by | Alfred Hindmarsh |
| Succeeded by | George Mitchell |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Wellington East |
|
|
In office 1928 – 1946 |
|
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Miramar |
|
|
In office 1946 – 1954 |
|
| Succeeded by | Bill Fox |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 October 1873 Sofala, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 31 January 1955 (aged 81) New Plymouth, New Zealand |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Semple |
Robert "Bob" Semple (21 October 1873 – 31 January 1955) was a union leader and later Minister of Public Works for the first Labour Government of New Zealand.
He was born in Sofala, New South Wales, Australia. He started working at an early age as gold miner in Australia. In 1903 he was involved in a miner's strike in Victoria Australia. The strike was defeated and Semple ended up being blacklisted.
To avoid the blacklist Semple moved to the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. By 1907 he was president of the Runanga Miner's Union and earned himself nickname 'Fighting Bob Semple'.
He was jailed in 1913 for supporting the general strike and again in 1916 after fighting conscription for overseas service during World War I. Semple served as the President of the Labour Party from 1926 to 1928.
Semple was a member of the Wellington City Council for a decade between 1925 and 1935. In 1935 he unsuccessfully stood for Mayor of Wellington, coming runner-up to Thomas Hislop. His wife Margaret was also a Wellington City Councillor from 1938 to 1941.
Semple was elected to the seat of Wellington South Parliament for Labour in a 1918 by-election, but lost the seat in the 1919 general election. In 1928 he won the Wellington East seat, and held it until 1946, when it was renamed Miramar. He then held Miramar until 1954, when he retired.
In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.
...
Wikipedia