Alfred Ernest Mander (13 December 1894 – 26 February 1985) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English ...

psychology writer and political activist who became prominent in New Zealand and Australia. Born in

Great Malvern Great Malvern is an area of the spa town of Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It lies at the foot of the Malvern Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, on the eastern flanks of the Worcestershire Beacon and North Hill, and ...

in Worcestershire, Mander was educated at

Queen's College, Taunton Queen's College is a co-educational independent school located in Taunton, the county town of Somerset, England. It is a day/boarding school for children aged 0–18. The school incorporates nursery, pre-prep, Prep, and senior schools. The cur ...

, and became a journalist before studying law at the

University of Birmingham The University of Birmingham (informally Birmingham University) is a Public university, public research university located in Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom. It received its royal charter in 1900 as a successor to Queen's College, Birmingha ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, Mander served in France with the

Royal Field Artillery The Royal Field Artillery (RFA) of the British Army provided close artillery support for the infantry. It came into being when created as a distinct arm of the Royal Regiment of Artillery on 1 July 1899, serving alongside the other two arms of ...

, then from 1917 worked for the

Ministries of Munitions and Labour Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian m ...

. He became active in the socialist movement, serving on the first committee of

Hands Off Russia The Hands Off Russia campaign was an international political initiative first launched by British Socialists in 1919 to organise opposition to the British intervention on the side of the White armies against the Bolsheviks in the Russian Civil War ...

. He became the general secretary of the

National Union of Ex-Service Men The National Union of Ex-Servicemen (NUX) was a socialist ex-servicemen's organisation founded in London in early 1919 with close links with the Labour Party. Many of its members were formerly supporters of the National Federation of Discharged an ...

, and sold his house in order to help finance it. However, the group dissolved late in 1920, and Mander emigrated to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 List of islands of New Zealand, smaller islands. It is the ...

, where he lectured at the

Victoria University College Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well k ...

.''Dictionary of Labour Biography'', vol.IX, p.106 Mander's political views had moved to the right, and in 1929 he became the dominion secretary of the Reform Party. The party was at a low ebb, having suffered a serious defeat in the

1928 New Zealand general election The 1928 New Zealand general election was held on 13 and 14 November in the Māori and European electorates, respectively, to elect 80 MPs to the 23rd session of the New Zealand Parliament. 1928 was the year postal voting was introduced for c ...

, and Mander moved on to become general secretary of the

New Zealand Manufacturers' Federation New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...

. In 1935, Mander began writing popular works on psychology, ''Psychology for Everyman (and Woman)'' being followed in 1936 by ''Clearer Thinking (Logic for Everyman)''. The titles were frequently revised and in print until at least 1970, selling around 600,000 copies. In 1936, he also wrote ''To Alarm New Zealand'', which argued that white British immigrants to the country should be encouraged. Around the end of 1937, Mander emigrated to Sydney in Australia, and became secretary of the New South Wales Employment Council. In 1938, he wrote ''Alarming Australia'', following the themes of ''To Alarm New Zealand''. Mander served in the Australian Intelligence Corps in the early years of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, then the

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the name given to the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initia ...

from 1941. Although he was temporarily promoted to major, he was placed in reserve in 1942, and found time to write ''Our Sham Democracy'', which argued that voters lacked the knowledge to make decisions based on the latest knowledge. He worked for the New South Wales Public Service, continued to write, and also lectured part-time for the

Workers' Educational Association The Workers' Educational Association (WEA), founded in 1903, is the UK's largest voluntary sector provider of adult education and one of Britain's biggest charities. The WEA is a democratic and voluntary adult education movement. It delivers lea ...

. On occasion, he appeared on television, on the "Nation's Forum of the Air".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mander, Ernest 1894 births 1985 deaths Alumni of the University of Birmingham English emigrants to Australia English emigrants to New Zealand British Army personnel of World War I Australian Army personnel of World War II People educated at Queen's College, Taunton People from Malvern, Worcestershire Psychology writers Royal Field Artillery soldiers Australian Army officers English centenarians Men centenarians