Walter Nash
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The Right Honourable Sir Walter Nash GCMG CH |
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| 27th Prime Minister of New Zealand | |
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In office 12 December 1957 – 12 December 1960 |
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| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Governor-General | Charles Lyttelton |
| Deputy | Clarence Skinner |
| Preceded by | Keith Holyoake |
| Succeeded by | Keith Holyoake |
| Constituency | Hutt |
| 16th Leader of the Opposition | |
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In office 17 January 1951 – 12 December 1957 |
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| Preceded by | Peter Fraser |
| Succeeded by | Keith Holyoake |
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In office 12 December 1960 – 1 April 1963 |
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| Preceded by | Keith Holyoake |
| Succeeded by | Arnold Nordmeyer |
| 27th Minister of Finance | |
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In office 6 December 1935 – 13 December 1949 |
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| Prime Minister |
Michael Joseph Savage (1935–40) Peter Fraser (1940–49) |
| Preceded by | Gordon Coates |
| Succeeded by | Sidney Holland |
| 14th President of the Labour Party | |
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In office 1935–1936 |
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| Vice President | James Roberts |
| Leader | Michael Joseph Savage |
| Preceded by | Tim Armstrong |
| Succeeded by | Clyde Carr |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
12 February 1882 Kidderminster, Worcestershire, England |
| Died | 4 June 1968 (aged 86) Wellington, New Zealand |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse(s) | Lotty May Eaton (m.1906) |
| Relations | Stuart Nash (great-grandson) |
| Children | 4 |
| Occupation | Clerk |
| Religion | Christian Socialist |
Sir Walter Nash GCMG CH (12 February 1882 – 4 June 1968) served as the 27th Prime Minister of New Zealand in the Second Labour Government from 1957 to 1960, and was also highly influential in his role as Minister of Finance in the First Labour Government. He is noted for his long period of service, having been associated with the Labour Party since its creation. Leaving office at 78 years of age, Nash is to date New Zealand's most elderly prime minister, and is the most recent to have been born outside the country.
Nash was born in Kidderminster, a town in the English county of Worcestershire. He was born into a poor family and his father was an alcoholic. Nash performed well at school and won a scholarship to King Charles I Grammar School but additional costs associated with attending prevented him from accepting. Nash began employment as a clerk, initially with a lawyer in Kidderminster and then at a factory near Birmingham.
In 1906 Nash married Lottie May Eaton and established a shop. He became highly active in his community, participating in a large number of societies and clubs. He also attended night school to further his education. By 1908, however, problems began to arise; his wife and son were both ill and a daughter died at birth. In addition an economic recession in the following year seriously harmed his business. The family decided to leave England, settling on New Zealand as a destination.
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