Mid-Canterbury by-election, 1942
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The Mid-Canterbury by-election, 1942 was a by-election held on 27 January 1942 during the 26th New Zealand Parliament in the seat of Mid-Canterbury. The by-election resulted from the death of Arthur Grigg; his wife Mary Grigg was elected unopposed.
Arthur Grigg had held the seat since 1938 for the National Party. He was killed on 29 November 1941 while serving during World War II with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) in Libya. His wife was selected as the candidate for the National party, while Labour decided not to stand a candidate because of the war. Therefore, (Mrs) Grigg was elected unopposed; from 21 January 1942 according to Wilson.
Wood notes that in the extreme case of Mid-Canterbury, 1942 the (unopposed) by-election was gazetted without date of election, and four different dates are available from reputable sources: Official Year-book, Parliamentary Record, Journals of the House and J Boston.
Grigg became the first female National Party MP and the fourth overall. She had little impact on parliament, retiring at the 1943 general election (30 August 1943) after marrying William Polson, the National MP for Stratford. Despite this her election is seen as a milestone in women's suffrage in New Zealand.
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