Sir Lancelot Raymond Adams-Schneider (11 November 1919 – 3 September 1995) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party.

Biography

Early life and career

Lancelot Raymond Adams was born in

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 ...

, New Zealand, to Arthur Archibald Adams and Hilda Mary Adams (née Biggs). His mother died when he was three years old, and his paternal aunt, Susan Isabella Schneider (née Adams) took on the care of her nephew. Later, Susan and her husband, Theodore Schneider, adopted Lancelot and he became Lance Adams-Schneider. He was educated at Eastern Hutt Primary School, Petone Memorial Technical College, and Mount Albert Grammar School,

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 ...

. He entered the drapery trade on leaving school and founded his own business in Auckland. Later he managed a large store in

Taumarunui Taumarunui is a small town in the King Country of the central North Island of New Zealand. It is on an alluvial plain set within rugged terrain on the upper reaches of the Whanganui River, 65 km south of Te Kūiti and 55 km west of T� ...

. 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 ...

, Adams-Schneider served in the Medical Corps. He later became a member of the Taumarunui Borough Council, president of the Chamber of Commerce, and an executive member of the New Zealand Retailers' Association. In 1944, Adams-Schneider became engaged to Shirley Lois Brunton, and the couple married the following year.

Political career

His private enterprise position and retail experience influenced him politically and led him to become involved with the National Party. He became chairmans of the party's Taumaranui Branch and was later a publicity officer for the party's Waikato Division. He later sought the National Party nomination at a by-election in Bay of Plenty in early 1957, but was unsuccessful. Adams-Schneider stood in the Hutt electorate against Labour Party leader Walter Nash in , coming second for National. He then contested and won for National the 1959 Hamilton by-election held after the death of the incumbent MP, Dame Hilda Ross. He continued to represent 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 until its disestablishment in , after which he represented the

Waikato The Waikato () is a region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipā District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsula, the nort ...

electorate until his retirement in . Adams-Schneider was a parliamentary under-secretary from 1964 to 1967, Minister of Broadcasting from 1967 to 1969, Minister of Customs from 1969 to 1972, Minister of Health and Minister of Social Welfare in 1972, and Minister of Trade and Industry from 1975 to 1981. He was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal in 1977, and the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.

Diplomatic career

Following his retirement from national politics, Adams-Schneider was appointed the Ambassador from New Zealand to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

(1982–85) and to

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

(1982–83). In the 1984 Queen's Birthday Honours, Adams-Schneider was appointed a

Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...

, for public services. He was also a member of the Privy Council.

Later life and death

Adams-Schneider was active in youth work and was a lay preacher in the Baptist Church. He died on 3 September 1995. His wife, Shirley, Lady Adams-Schneider, died in Wellington on 20 May 2020.

References

External links

* , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Adams-Schneider, Lance 1919 births 1995 deaths Ambassadors of New Zealand to the United States Ambassadors of New Zealand to Mexico New Zealand National Party MPs Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George New Zealand members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Unsuccessful candidates in the 1957 New Zealand general election Politicians from Wellington City People educated at Mount Albert Grammar School Local politicians in New Zealand New Zealand military personnel of World War II Ministers of health of New Zealand