Charles Henry Chapman (politician)

Charles Henry Chapman MP
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Wellington North
In office 1928–1946
Preceded by	John Luke
Succeeded by	seat abolished
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Wellington Central
In office 1946–1954
Preceded by	Peter Fraser
Succeeded by	Frank Kitts
Personal details
Born	1876 London, England
Died	2 March 1957 Wellington, New Zealand
Political party	Labour (1916-57) Social Democratic (1913-16)
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Charles Henry Chapman (1876 – 2 March 1957) was a New Zealand unionist and politician of the Labour Party and various predecessor parties.

Chapman was born in London, England in 1876. He joined the Independent Labour Party (ILP) and was later secretary of the London ILP Federation. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1905.

Chapman was a linotype operator by trade as well as a union secretary. He was on the executive of the Independent Political Labour League (IPLL) in 1906/07. He was on the Advisory Committee of the Social Democratic Party in 1915–1916.

He was a Wellington City Councillor from 1919–1925 and 1929–1941, and also served on both the Hospital Board and Wellington Harbour Board. In 1915, Chapman ran for Mayor of Wellington as the Social Democratic candidate. In a three horse race, he came a distant third. He ran for mayor a further three times as the Labour Party's nominee. He ran in 1925, 1927 and 1938 placing second on each occasion.

He contested the Wellington South electorate in the 1908 election and came third behind Robert Alexander Wright and William Henry Peter Barber.

He contested the Hawke's Bay electorate in the 1919 election for the Labour Party and came third behind Hugh Campbell and Gilbert McKay. In 1922, he stood in the Hawke's Bay electorate again and came a distant third (and last) after Gilbert McKay and Andrew Hamilton Russell. In the 1925 election, he stood in the Wellington Suburbs electorate and was beaten by the incumbent, Robert Alexander Wright, who had also beaten him in 1908.

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