George Arthur Spooner (25 May 1906 – 5 May 1975) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Biography

Early life and career

Spooner was born on 25 May 1906 in

Patea Patea ( ) is the third-largest town in South Taranaki District, New Zealand. It is on the western bank of the Pātea River, 61 kilometres north-west of Whanganui on . Hāwera is 27 km to the north-west, and Waverley, Taranaki, Waverley 17 ...

, one of six children, to Arthur Frederick (Fred) Spooner and Mary Ann Prouse. He became a blacksmith by trade, working at both the Patea Freezing Works and for the Wanganui Harbour Board. In 1926 he married Edith Annie Clarke with whom he had three children. While working for the Harbour Board, he became the chair of the Harbour Employees Union and the East Town branch of the

Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants The Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants (ASRS) was a trade union of railway workers in the United Kingdom from 1872 until 1913. History The ASRS was an industrial union founded in 1871 with the support of the Liberal MP Michael Thomas Bas ...

. He saw active service overseas during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as an anti-aircraft gunner. Spooner became the secretary of the Wanganui Trades Council, leading him to politics. He became president of the Wanganui Branch of the Labour Party and later the Wanganui Labour Representation Committee.

Political career

He represented the

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 ...

electorate from

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

, but was unexpectedly defeated in

1969 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1969th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 969th year of the 2nd millennium, the 69th year of the 20th century, and the ...

by National's Bill Tolhurst. During his time as a Member of Parliament he advocated in particular for better quality housing, workers' compensation and social security benefits for his constituents. Spooner twice stood for the vice-presidency of the Labour Party. He gained minimal support with only 6 delegates voting for him in 1969 and 8 in 1970. In 1968 he introduced a bill to the house that would extend the powers of the Office of the Ombudsman to local bodies. The bill was voted down, but a bill in 1975 with the same purpose was eventually passed by the Third Labour Government.

Later life and death

He died in

on 5 May 1975, aged 69, survived by his wife and children.

Notes

References

* 1906 births 1975 deaths New Zealand Labour Party MPs Unsuccessful candidates in the 1969 New Zealand general election Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates New Zealand military personnel of World War II New Zealand trade unionists {{NZLabour-politician-stub