The 1947 Mount Albert by-election was a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

held during the

28th New Zealand Parliament The 28th New Zealand Parliament was a term of the New Zealand Parliament. It was elected at the 1946 general election in November of that year. 1946 general election The 1946 general election was held on Tuesday, 26 November in the Māori ele ...

in the

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

electorate of . The by-election occurred following the death of MP Arthur Richards and was won by

Warren Freer Warren Wilfred Freer (27 December 1920 – 29 March 2013) was a New Zealand politician and member of the Labour Party. He represented the Mount Albert electorate from to . He is internationally known as the first Western politician to ever ...

Background

Arthur Richards, who was first elected to represent for the Labour Party in , died on 5 August 1947. This triggered the Mount Albert by-election, which occurred on 24 September 1947.

was the candidate for the Labour Party, and Jack Garland was the candidate for the

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Candidates

;Labour There were nine nominees for the Labour Party candidacy who included: *Alex Dixon, a former RNZAF pilot and Labour's candidate for in . *James Freeman, Vice-President of the Timber Workers' Union and Labour's candidate for in 1946. *

, secretary of the Auckland Labour Representation Committee and Labour's candidate for in 1946. *

Bill Schramm Frederick William Schramm (28 March 1886 – 28 October 1962) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He was the eleventh Speaker of the House of Representatives, from 1944 to 1946. Biography Early life Schramm was born in Hokitika ...

former MP for and

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who was defeated in in 1946. The decision was deferred to the Labour Party's national executive. Freer was only 26 and relatively unknown to executive members, but local member Dick Barter convinced party leader

Peter Fraser Peter Fraser (; 28 August 1884 – 12 December 1950) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 24th prime minister of New Zealand from 27 March 1940 until 13 December 1949. Considered a major figure in the history of the New Zealand Lab ...

that his candidacy in Eden was adequate apprenticeship. He was eventually selected. Richards had urged Freer to stand for the safe Labour seat of Mt Albert when he died. ;National The National Party had five nominations which were: *Alfred Thomas Dow, secretary of the Auckland Provincial School Committees' Association and a former member of the Mount Eden Borough Council. *Peter Collingwood Fisher, of Hamilton, a wounded RNZAF officer, who served in Britain. *Jack Garland, a former member of the

Auckland City Council Auckland City Council was the local government authority for Auckland City, New Zealand, from 1989 to 1 November 2010, when it and Auckland's six other city and district councils were amalgamated to form the Auckland Council. It was an elec ...

and a candidate for the council at the next municipal elections. *

Leon Götz Sir Frank Leon Aroha Götz (12 September 1892 – 14 September 1970) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. Noted as a colourful character, he was commonly referred to by parliamentary colleagues as "the pirate" as he wore a black ...

, National candidate for in . *Joan Rattray, a member of the Auckland City Council and the Metropolitan Youth Council. Garland was chosen after winning a ballot of local members.

Campaign

Freer recalled two inspiring campaign speeches delivered by

Martyn Finlay Allan "Martyn" Finlay (1 January 1912 – 20 January 1999) was a New Zealand lawyer and politician of the New Zealand Labour Party, Labour Party. He was an MP in two separate spells and a member of two different governments, including being a ...

and

Mabel Howard Mabel Bowden Howard (18 April 1894 – 23 June 1972) was a well-known New Zealand trade unionist and politician. She was the first woman secretary of a predominantly male union (the Canterbury General Labourers' Union). She was a Member of Parl ...

which were received well by voters.

Previous election

Results

The following table gives the election results: Freer obtained 56% of the votes and was successful. Freer was staggered when his majority was close to that of Richards in 1946, rather than being well below (as for most by-elections). At the November local-body elections Garland was elected a member of the

. Freer would hold the Mount Albert electorate for more than three decades until he retired at the .

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mount Albert By-Election, 1947 Politics of the Auckland Region 1947 elections in New Zealand By-elections in New Zealand 1940s in Auckland September 1947 in Oceania