Clarence Farrington Skinner (19 January 1900 – 26 April 1962), commonly known as Jerry or Gerry Skinner, was a Labour politician from New Zealand, the third

deputy prime minister of New Zealand The deputy prime minister of New Zealand () is the second-most senior member of the Cabinet of New Zealand. The officeholder usually deputises for the prime minister at official functions. Since 31 May 2025, the current deputy prime minister ...

between 1957 and 1960, and a minister from 1943 to 1949 and 1957 to 1960 in the

First First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

and

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Labour governments.

Biography

Early life

Skinner was born on 19 January 1900 in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

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, before subsequently emigrating to

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. His father was a missionary in Te Kopuru, near Hokianga. Skinner settled in the

Waitaki District Waitaki District is a Districts of New Zealand, territorial authority district that is located in the Canterbury Region, Canterbury and Otago regions of the South Island of New Zealand. It straddles the traditional border between the two regions ...

and married Julia Buckley Gray of

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; , colloquially known as Palmerston or Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatū Plains, the city is near the north bank of the Manaw ...

in 1924. They were to have two sons together, who later went into business in Westport together. Skinner established himself politically as a union leader in Westport whilst working as a carpenter by trade. He then turned his profession to farming up until the depression in the early 1930s. He distinguished himself after being elected the president of the

Inangahua Inangahua is a small settlement in the northwest of New Zealand's South Island. It consists of three settled areas: Inangahua Junction at the confluence of the Inangahua and Buller Rivers, north of Reefton and southeast of Westport; Inangahu ...

Medical Association. He was instrumental in setting up a co-operative medical insurance scheme for labourers working building the Waitaki hydroelectric station alongside Andy Davidson,

Arnold Nordmeyer Sir Arnold Henry Nordmeyer (born Heinrich Arnold Nordmeyer, 7 February 1901 – 2 February 1989) was a New Zealand politician and Presbyterian minister. As a member of Parliament (MP) he played a crucial role in the Labour Party, serving fr ...

and Gervan &

Ethel McMillan Ethel Emma McMillan (née Black, 12 May 1904 – 13 August 1987) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. She was a Member of Parliament for Dunedin electorates for 22 years, but despite her political seniority, was not appointed a c ...

. All subsequently becoming prominent members of the Labour party.

Military career

Skinner served in the

New Zealand Army The New Zealand Army (, ) is the principal Army, land warfare force of New Zealand, a component of the New Zealand Defence Force alongside the Royal New Zealand Navy and the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Formed in 1845, as the New Zealand Mil ...

in the Middle East during World War II. Starting out as a Sapper in the fourth reinforcements, Skinner rose to the rank of Major in the North African campaign. He was wounded in action in 1942 and was

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face of t ...

. He was later awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level until 1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) Other ranks (UK), other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth of ...

in 1943 for mine clearing during the

First Battle of El Alamein The First Battle of El Alamein (1–27 July 1942) was a battle of the Western Desert campaign of World War II, fought in Egypt between Axis (German and Italian) forces of the Panzer Army Africa—which included the under Field Marshal Erwin ...

. At night he had cleared the way for Allied tanks to launch a counterattack to an Axis breakthrough. In June 1943 he was undertaking a lecturing tour of Britain for the Ministry of Information when he was recalled to New Zealand upon receiving a promotion to cabinet because of his fine record as a soldier by Prime Minister

Peter Fraser Peter Fraser (; 28 August 1884 – 12 December 1950) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 24th prime minister of New Zealand from 27 March 1940 until 13 December 1949. Considered a major figure in the history of the New Zealand Lab ...

Member of Parliament

Skinner was a Member of Parliament from 1938 to 1962; he was MP for

Motueka Motueka is a town in the South Island of New Zealand, close to the mouth of the Motueka River on the western shore of Tasman Bay. It is the second largest in the Tasman Region, with a population of as of The surrounding district has a numb ...

between 1938 and 1946 (having defeated new MP

Keith Holyoake Sir Keith Jacka Holyoake (11 February 1904 – 8 December 1983) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 26th prime minister of New Zealand, serving for a brief period in 1957 and then from 1960 to 1972, and also as the 13th governor-g ...

1938 Events January * January 1 – state-owned enterprise, State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France (SNCF) and the Netherlands (Nederlandse Spoorwegen – NS). * January 20 – King Farouk of Egypt marries Saf ...

), then MP for Buller from 1946 to 1962. Early on in his career as an MP, Skinner was somewhat sympathetic to the plight of John A. Lee, but did not to support him openly. Skinner made good impressions as an MP and gained a reputation for possessing "down-to-earth Kiwi common sense".

First Labour Government

Between 1943 and 1949 he held several ministries;

Lands Land is the solid surface of the Earth that is not covered by water. Land, lands, The Land, or the Lands may also refer to: Entertainment and media Film * ''Land'' (1987 film), a British television film by Barry Collins * ''Land'' (2018 film), a ...

, Rehabilitation, Valuation and

State Forests A state forest or national forest is a forest that is administered or protected by a sovereign or federated state, or territory. Background State forests are forests that are administered or protected by some agency of a sovereign or federate ...

. As Minister of Rehabilitation he distinguished himself in the area of soldier resettlement, enabling returned servicemen to return to live and work in New Zealand following World War II. As a minister Skinner gained a reputation of sincerity, which helped his otherwise lackings as an orator. Walter Nash and Clarence Skinner

Skinner was seen by many as Labour's rising star. In recognition of this, he was subsequently elected deputy-leader of the Labour Party in

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the Uni ...

while it was in opposition. However, there had been speculation that he had sought the leadership, but this was dismissed as merely media gossip. In the attempted coup against

Walter Nash Sir Walter Nash (12 February 1882 – 4 June 1968) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 27th prime minister of New Zealand in the Second Labour Government from 1957 to 1960. He is noted for his long period of political service, havi ...

's leadership in 1954, Skinner sided with Nash and his status as the deputy-leader was reaffirmed when he remained unopposed in the position. In 1956 he suffered a heart attack, but made a good recovery in the following months.

Second Labour Government

Following Labour's victory in the 1957 election, Skinner became

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a Minister (government), government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to th ...

in Walter Nash's ministry. He also held the

and

Agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

portfolios. In government, Skinner still did not make further impressions in public opinion, where he was still seen by the public as merely in Nash's shadow. As Minister of Agriculture Skinner fought against unfair trading practices in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

regarding New Zealand's dairy imports. New Zealand faced a recurring problem. Dairy prices had fallen drastically, largely because a number of countries were 'dumping' subsidized butter. Skinner led a delegation of officials which persuaded the British government to reduced tariff preferences for New Zealand goods in return for exempting British goods from quantitative restrictions. He likewise passed an act of parliament to safeguard New Zealand's livestock against

Hydatid disease Hydatid may refer to: * Echinococcosis * ''Echinococcus granulosus'', known as the hydatid tapeworm * Hydatid of Morgagni The hydatid of Morgagni can refer to one of two closely related bodily structures: * Appendix of testis (in the male) * Para ...

. As a result of his work in the area, it is said that Skinner was an instrumental figure in the establishment of New Zealand's pulp and paper industry. A notable feature of the

Second Labour Government The second MacDonald ministry was formed by Ramsay MacDonald on his reappointment as prime minister of the United Kingdom by King George V on 5 June 1929. It was the second time the Labour Party had formed a government; the first MacDonald m ...

was Nash's frequent absences from the country. This left Skinner to be

acting Prime Minister An acting prime minister is a member of a cabinet (often in Westminster system countries) who is serving in the role of prime minister, whilst the individual who normally holds the position is unable to do so. The role is often performed by the ...

both frequently, and for lengthy periods. He was effectively in charge of the governments domestic affairs whilst Nash busied himself with international matters. His first wife died in 1957 and in 1958 he married Lois Mehaffey. Skinner was the acting Prime Minister at the time of his wedding.

Opposition

Following the Labour defeat at the 1960 election, Skinner again became Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Walter Nash favoured Skinner as his successor and was planning to announce his retirement as leader at Labour's 1962 party conference to clear the way for Skinner. The media and public were widely anticipating Skinner to lead Labour at the 1963 election. After Skinner's sudden death (only a week before the 1962 conference) Nash then favoured

Fred Hackett Frederick Hackett (11 November 1901 – 19 March 1963) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He was a minister in both the First and Second Labour Governments of New Zealand and later the deputy leader of the opposition. Early li ...

to replace him after he had been elected Skinner's successor as deputy leader. However, Hackett then too died leaving Nash to be replaced by

when he eventually resigned in 1963. It was speculated that Skinner had died with the knowledge that the party leadership would soon be his and that the caucus had already approved of his succession to Nash, however Nash strongly denied the suggestion.

Death

Skinner attended the

Anzac Day Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia, New Zealand and Tonga that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and ...

ceremony at the

Wellington Cenotaph The Wellington Cenotaph, also known as the Wellington Citizens' War Memorial, is a war memorial located on the intersection of Lambton Quay and Bowen Street in Wellington, New Zealand. It commemorates the war dead of the two world wars. The cen ...

as opposition representative before returning to his home in

Tākaka Tākaka is a small town situated at the southeastern end of Golden Bay / Mohua, Golden Bay, at the northern end of New Zealand's South Island, located on the lower reaches of the Tākaka River. State Highway 60 (New Zealand), State Highway 60 r ...

later in the day. He died in his sleep early the next morning, aged 62. He was survived by his second wife and two sons. One of his sons, Terry, was the longtime secretary of Labour's Southern Buller electorate committee. After his father's death, he stood for the Labour nomination at the Buller by-election but lost out to

Bill Rowling Sir Wallace Edward Rowling (; 15 November 1927 – 31 October 1995), commonly known as Bill Rowling, was a New Zealand politician who was the 30th prime minister of New Zealand from 1974 to 1975. He held office as the Leader of the New Zealand ...

. He remained on friendly terms with Rowling and continued as secretary for many years.

Notes

References

* * * * *''Who's Who in New Zealand'', 7th Edition 1961.
Obituary in Nelson Photo NewsPhoto (downloadable) of Clarence Skinner as Minister of Rehabilitation
, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Skinner, Jerry 1900 births 1962 deaths Australian emigrants to New Zealand People from Motueka New Zealand Labour Party MPs Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand New Zealand military personnel of World War II New Zealand recipients of the Military Cross Deputy prime ministers of New Zealand Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates 20th-century New Zealand politicians Ministers of agriculture of New Zealand