Arthur Shapton Richards (1877 – 5 August 1947) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Biography

Early life

He was born in

Reading, Berkshire Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, England, and the county town of Berkshire. It is the United Kingdom's largest town, with a combined population of 355,596. Most of Reading built-up area, its built-up area lies within the Borough ...

, England and came to New Zealand in 1894, first at Gisborne and then

Poverty Bay Poverty Bay (Māori language, Māori: ''Tūranganui-a-Kiwa''), officially named Tūranganui-a-Kiwa / Poverty Bay, is the largest of several small bays on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island to the north of Hawke Bay. It stretches for ...

where he worked on sheep farms. In 1903 he married Elizabeth Warneford. He briefly moved to

Wanganui Whanganui, also spelt Wanganui, is a list of cities in New Zealand, city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest nav ...

in 1908 where he founded Wanganui Branch of

New Zealand Socialist Party The New Zealand Socialist Party was founded in 1901, promoting the works of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. The group, despite being relatively moderate when compared with many other socialists, met with little tangible success, but it neverth ...

before returning to Gisborne where he became President of East Coast Trades Council and was also Secretary of Gisborne Hotel Workers' Union from 1911 to 1917. He was Gisborne Drivers' Union delegate to the 1913 Unity Congress. In 1922 he moved to

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 ...

Political career

Richards unsuccessfully stood for 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 ...

on a Labour ticket in the 1923 local elections. He stood unsuccessfully in the

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

electorate in

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

, Marsden in

1925 Events January * January 1 – The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini m ...

, and in

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...

. He contested Roskill again at the subsequent general election in and this time, he was successful. He held Roskill until 1946, when he successfully transferred to the "safe" (for Labour) electorate in the 1946 general election. Following an electoral redistribution the Roskill electorate remained, but 75% of its area became the new Mount Albert electorate. Consequently Richards thought that Mount Albert would be the more suitable electorate for him to represent. He won selection over

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 ...

, Tom Skinner and

Frank Langstone Frank Langstone (10 December 1881 – 15 June 1969) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament, Cabinet Minister and High Commissioner to ''Canada'' . Biography Early life Langstone was born in Bulls probably on 10 December 1881. He was the four ...

(Langstone would in turn replace Richards in Roskill). He died in office on 5 August 1947. His death caused the , which 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 ...

. He was the senior Government whip from 1942 until his death, and was succeeded in that position by his deputy, Robert Macfarlane. He was awarded the

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir by King George V to commemorate his Silver Ju ...

in 1935.

Death

Richards died on 5 August 1947 after an illness extending over several weeks. He was survived by his wife, son and two daughters. In recognition of Richards' work in establishing state housing in

Mount Roskill Mount Roskill () is a suburban area in the city of Auckland, New Zealand. It is named for the volcanic peak Mount Roskill. Etymology The name Mount Roskill was first recorded as Mt Rascal in 1841, on a map created by a Wesleyan missionary, ...

, Auckland, the Arthur S Richards Memorial Park was named in his honour.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Arthur Shapton 1877 births 1947 deaths New Zealand Labour Party MPs English emigrants to New Zealand Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates Politicians from Reading, Berkshire Unsuccessful candidates in the 1928 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1922 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1925 New Zealand general election