Arthur Cook (30 November 1885 – 4 March 1943) was a member of the

New Zealand Legislative Council The New Zealand Legislative Council () was the upper house of the General Assembly of New Zealand between 1853 and 1951. An earlier arrangement of New Zealand Legislative Council (1841–1853), legislative councils for the colony and provinces ...

from 10 September 1942 to 4 March 1943, when he died. He was appointed by the First Labour Government. He was born in

Campbell Town Campbell Town is a town in Tasmania, Australia, on the Midland Highway. At the 2021 census, the town had a population of 823. History Traditional owners of the Campbell Town area The traditional custodians of the Campbell Town area were ...

, Tasmania, Australia in 1885 and came to New Zealand around 1910. He was a shearer, and was president of the Shearers' Union and secretary from 1924 to 1942 of the New Zealand Workers' Union which grew out of the Shearers' Union. He was President of the Alliance of Labour 1926–36, and in the 1920s a bitter critic of the Labour Party. He was from

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 ...

. When he was appointed, he had retired recently from the position of general secretary of the New Zealand Workers' Union. He died when the ship '' California Star'', which was taking him to a trade union conference in Britain, was torpedoed by German submarine U-515.''Evening Post''; 12 September 1942 p2 & 24 April 1943 p6

References

1885 births 1943 deaths Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council New Zealand Labour Party MLCs New Zealand trade unionists Australian civilians killed in World War II New Zealand people of World War II Australian emigrants to New Zealand Politicians from Wellington City People lost at sea Politicians killed in World War II {{NewZealand-activist-stub