Andrew Walker (1855 – 10 July 1934) was a New Zealand politician of the United Labour Party and then the Labour Party from

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

Early life

Walker was born in

North Berwick North Berwick (; ) is a seaside resort, seaside town and former royal burgh in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately east-northeast of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holi ...

, Scotland in 1855. He came to New Zealand in 1860. He attended school in Dunedin's Union Street, where

Robert Stout Sir Robert Stout (28 September 1844 – 19 July 1930) was a New Zealand politician who was the 13th premier of New Zealand on two occasions in the late 19th century, and later Chief Justice of New Zealand. He was the only person to hold both ...

was one of his teachers. He left school aged 14 to learn the trade of printing at the '' Evening Star''. He became a prominent union leader. Walker made a name for himself serving as the secretary of the Otago Typographical Union where he acted as a mentor to younger members such as Ken Baxter, leaving them with lasting commitments to the labour movement. He was also a Baptist dean and treasurer of Hanover Street Baptist Church.

Political career

He represented the

Dunedin North Dunedin North, also known as North Dunedin, is a major inner suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin, located northeast of the city centre. It contains many of the city's major institutions, including the city's university, polytechnic, ...

electorate in Parliament from 1914 to 1919, when he was defeated by an Independent Labour candidate Edward Kellett. Walker was a protégé of Labour movement organizer Tom Paul, who did not contest a seat himself in the election, as he sat on the Legislative council, but must have felt vindicated after Walker's success. In 1914 he won election, with

Alfred Hindmarsh Alfred Humphrey Hindmarsh (18 April 1860 – 13 November 1918) was a New Zealand politician, lawyer, and unionist. He died in the 1918 influenza epidemic. He served as the first leader of the modern New Zealand Labour Party. Early life Hindma ...

and

Bill Veitch William Andrew Veitch (25 May 1870 – 1 January 1961) was a New Zealand politician. He began his career in the labour movement, but became a strong opponent of more militant socialism, and rejected the radical views held by many of his colleag ...

as the remnant of the United Labour Party, and in 1916 the remnant and the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties Form ...

combined to form the Labour Party (NZLP). Walker drew up the 1916 constitution and was the first secretary of the Labour Party caucus. He was the President of the NZLP but resigned in 1917 over the State Control issue, as he was a staunch prohibitionist. Between 1916 and 1919 he served as the Labour Party's

whip A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...

. At the , Walker was opposed by an "Independent" Labour candidate, Edward Kellett, for Dunedin North in a straight contest and Walker was defeated.

Later life

Walker retired to

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

where some of his family lived. For some years, he lived in Fairview Crescent in Kelburn. For his last two years, he lived at 13 Melling Road in

Lower Hutt Lower Hutt () is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand. Administered by the Hutt City Council, it is one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropoli ...

with his daughter and son-in-law. He died at the Lower Hutt residence on 10 July 1934. and was buried at Taita Cemetery. He was survived by his wife and two daughters; another daughter had died in 1919.

Notes

References

* * * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Andrew 1855 births 1934 deaths New Zealand Labour Party MPs United Labour Party (New Zealand) MPs New Zealand MPs for Dunedin electorates Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand Baptists New Zealand temperance activists People from North Berwick Scottish emigrants to New Zealand Unsuccessful candidates in the 1919 New Zealand general election Burials at Taitā Lawn Cemetery Colony of New Zealand people