Harry Holland

Harry Holland MP
Harry Holland in 1925
10th Leader of the Opposition
In office 16 June 1926 – 18 October 1928
Preceded by	George Forbes
Succeeded by	Joseph Ward
In office 22 September 1931 – 8 October 1933
Preceded by	Gordon Coates
Succeeded by	Michael Joseph Savage
2nd Leader of the Labour Party
In office 27 August 1919 – 8 October 1933
Deputy	James McCombs (1919-23) Michael Joseph Savage (1923-33)
Preceded by	Alfred Hindmarsh
Succeeded by	Michael Joseph Savage
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Buller
In office 1919 – 1933
Preceded by	James Colvin
Succeeded by	Paddy Webb
Personal details
Born	10 June 1868 Queanbeyan, New South Wales, Australia
Died	8 October 1933 (1933-10-09) (aged 65) Huntly, New Zealand
Political party	Labour
Spouse(s)	Annie McLachlan (m. 1888)

Henry Edmund "Harry" Holland (10 June 1868 – 8 October 1933) was an Australian-born newspaper owner, politician and unionist who relocated to New Zealand. He was the second leader of the New Zealand Labour Party.

Holland was born near Queanbeyan, a town in New South Wales located quite close to modern Canberra. Initially, he worked on his parents' farm, but later was apprenticed as a compositor for the Queanbeyan Times. Holland did not receive an extensive education, but developed an enthusiasm for reading. He also became highly religious, joining the Salvation Army.

In 1887, Holland left Queanbeyan to work in Sydney. Shortly afterwards, on 6 October 1888, he married Annie McLachlan, whom he had met at a Salvation Army meeting. The two were to have five sons and three daughters. In 1890, however, Holland found himself unemployed, putting the family in a poor financial position. Holland left the Salvation Army at this point, believing that its response to poverty was inadequate. He remained, however, quite strongly religious. Gradually, his political views became attuned to socialism, although this was probably more an emotional decision than a theoretical one — Holland was deeply dedicated to the elimination of poverty, but had little use for complicated economic models.

Holland joined the small Australian Socialist League in 1892. Later, he and a friend began to publish a socialist journal — in 1896, he was convicted of libelling the superintendent of the New South Wales Labour Bureau, and served three months in prison. Upon his release, the journal was moved to Newcastle for a time, but eventually returned to Sydney.

In 1901, Holland stood as a candidate for the Australian Senate and the state seat of Lang. He was standing for the Socialist Labor Party, having rejected the Labor Party as too moderate. He did not make any significant impression. Later, in 1907, he stood in the New South Wales state elections, but was caught up in strong infighting between socialist groups. Holland had acquired a reputation of arrogance and egotism, and was convinced beyond all doubt that his views were correct.