Charles Morgan Williams (21 April 1878 – 4 August 1970) was a mayor and Member of Parliament for Kaiapoi in

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

, New Zealand.

Early years: farming and business

C. Morgan Williams was born in North

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

in 1878, and worked as a letter sorter in London. There he was active in the Battersea Branch of the British Social Democratic Federation and later secretary of the Clapham Branch. He came to New Zealand in 1902, and worked as a farm labourer in the Kaiapoi district until 1906, when he bought and leased land in the Tram Road area and grew potatoes. On the peat land he developed an extensive drainage system to allow dairy farming and founded the Maesgwyn herd of pedigree Ayrshire cattle. Williams purchased the property known as "Waverley" from Richard Evans in 1925. He also established the grain and produce business of C. Morgan Williams and Son in Charles Street, Kaiapoi.

Afforestation

Morgan Williams was closely associated with afforestation at Kaiapoi for over fifty years. He undertook block plantings on Council Reserves, and at Ohoka, Clarkville and Mandeville. In 1939 he was appointed by the Kaiapoi Borough Council as honorary supervisor of forests. At a public meeting in 1955, Williams received a presentation from the mayor

Norman Kirk Norman Eric Kirk (6 January 1923 – 31 August 1974) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 29th prime minister of New Zealand and as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (New Zealand), minister of Foreign Affairs from 1972 until h ...

, in recognition of his service to the borough and his care of 245 acres of forest reserves.

Public service

Morgan Williams local body activities began with his election to the Kaiapoi Borough Council in 1927, he was elected mayor in 1947 and served a term. He joined the Social Democratic Party in 1913. He stood unsuccessfully for Labour in Kaiapoi in 1919, , and

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 Mid-Canterbury 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 represented the

electorate of Kaiapoi from

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * January 12 – Amelia Earhart ...

1946 1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...

, when he was defeated standing for

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. Williams was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, for public services, in the 1956 Queen's Birthday Honours, but for the rest of his life, he did not wear the medal as he considered it a community, and not a personal commendation. Williams was a chairman of the Dairy Produce Marketing Commission (Logan, p. 152). According to Barry Gustafson, he was ''regarded by some observers and colleagues as somewhat eccentric, but undoubtedly intelligent and able'', though in accusing Savage of ''favouring fellow Catholics (from 1935)'' he was bigoted. He was one of John A. Lee's closest caucus friends. Ormond Wilson, in his "An Outsider Looks Back: Reflections on Experience" details Morgan Williams clash with Walter Nash on the Universal Family Benefit ("the well-to-do already had theirs-tax rebates"), and Bob Semple on freedom of speech laws with Semple boasting would "not allow Communist literature in Public Work Camps". Morgan Williams died in 1970. By his personal request, the funeral service was conducted by a former Minister of Finance, and parliamentary colleague, the Hon. Sir

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 ...

. A son, Charles Thomas Williams, was also involved in local body affairs in Kaiapoi. Charles Williams was first elected to the council in 1937, serving at different times for more than twenty years altogether. He was deputy mayor under Norman Kirk from 1953 to 1957 and assumed the mayoralty when Kirk entered Parliament. A grandson, also called Morgan Williams, was a Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment.

Quotes

;On Public Service *In 1965, Morgan Williams made his last attendance at the Kaiapoi Council Chambers (at the installation of the newly elected Council) and said: "the willingness of citizens to give their services free to the community was the very foundation of the democratic system of life". (Morgan Williams Papers, Alexander Turnbull Library, MS 998, Wellington). ;On Peter Fraser *"I have heard it said that he (Peter Fraser) forgets nothing and forgives nothing". *"As a party tactician Peter Fraser has no equal, he knows when to bounce and bluster his way out of a difficulty". (Quoted in Mary Logan, Nordy: Arnold Nordmeyer, Wellington, Steele Roberts 2008, p. 155).

Book

Morgan Williams wrote a book on his life, which is held at the Canterbury Museum Research Centre. It is a fascinating account of his early struggles and personal and political philosophy.

Notes

References

* * *Obituary, "The Press" 7 August 1970. {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Morgan New Zealand farmers New Zealand businesspeople New Zealand Labour Party MPs Social Democratic Party (New Zealand) politicians Welsh emigrants to New Zealand 1878 births 1970 deaths Mayors of places in the Canterbury Region People from Kaiapoi Deputy mayors of places in New Zealand Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire Unsuccessful candidates in the 1946 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1925 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1922 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1919 New Zealand general election