The New Zealand Labour Party leadership election, 1940 was held on 4 April 1940 to choose the fourth leader of the

New Zealand Labour Party The New Zealand Labour Party ( mi, Rōpū Reipa o Aotearoa), or simply Labour (), is a centre-left political party in New Zealand. The party's platform programme describes its founding principle as democratic socialism, while observers descr ...

. The election was won by Wellington Central MP

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 La ...

. It followed the death of incumbent Labour leader and Prime Minister

Michael Joseph Savage Michael Joseph Savage (23 March 1872 – 27 March 1940) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of New Zealand, heading the First Labour Government from 1935 until his death in 1940. Savage was born in the Colon ...

Background

Despite governing with a healthy majority, Labour was facing antagonism from within its own ranks. The Labour Party had been overtly socialist at its inception, it had gradually drifted away from its earlier radicalism under Savage. Labour MP,

John A. Lee John Alfred Alexander Lee (31 October 1891 – 13 June 1982) was a New Zealand politician and writer. He is one of the more prominent avowed socialism in New Zealand, socialists in New Zealand's political history. Lee was elected as a me ...

, whose outlooks were a combination of socialism and

social credit Social credit is a distributive philosophy of political economy developed by C. H. Douglas. Douglas attributed economic downturns to discrepancies between the cost of goods and the compensation of the workers who made them. To combat what he ...

theory, arose as a vocal critic of the party's leadership, accusing it of acting dictatorially and of betraying the party's founding ideals. After a long and bitter dispute, Lee was expelled from the party by Fraser, establishing the breakaway Democratic Labour Party. Only one other sitting Labour MP,

Bill Barnard William Edward Barnard (29 January 1886 – 12 March 1958) was a New Zealand lawyer, politician and parliamentary speaker. He was a member of Parliament from 1928 until 1943, and was its Speaker from 1936 till 1943. He was known for his associ ...

joined, though many others were sympathetic and gave serious consideration.

Candidates

Peter Fraser

Fraser had been an MP since 1918. He had served as Michael Joseph Savage's deputy since 1933 and by Savage's death he was effectively holding the office of Prime Minister during the former's battle with colon cancer.

Gervan McMillan

Gervan McMillan was nominated for the leadership by his close colleague and friend from Otago,

Arnold Nordmeyer Sir Arnold Henry Nordmeyer (born Heinrich Arnold Nordmeyer, 7 February 1901 – 2 February 1989) was a New Zealand politician. He served as Minister of Finance (1957–1960) and later as Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition ...

. He was a staunch supporter of

in an increasingly divided caucus. McMillan was of the opinion that Labour's leadership was too conservative and cautious, especially on financial issues. Like Lee, he sponsored a greater use of credit and to further encourage local industries.

Clyde Carr

Carr had previously served as Labour's party president (1936–1937). After Labour won office in 1935, Carr was not given any ministerial portfolios. As a result, he had become somewhat of a dissident in the Labour caucus. Carr, like McMillan, was also an open sympathiser of John A. Lee's

Result

The election was conducted through a caucus vote by the then parliamentary MPs. Arnold Nordmeyer had proposed a private ballot, however the idea was rejected. Peter Fraser won, with a total of 33 votes, well over half the caucus, while McMillan gained 12 votes and Carr just 3.

Aftermath

Peter Fraser would lead Labour until he, himself died in 1950. Upon his election, Fraser had to give the party's

caucus A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures. The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...

the right to elect people to

Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

without the leaders's approval, a practice which has continued as Labour Party policy . Gervan McMillan would later resign from all his parliamentary responsibilities and did not seek re-election in 1943. Carr continued on as a Labour MP, declining to join Lee's splinter party, the Democratic Labour Party. He was later to serve as the Chairman of Committees (1947–1949) and

Deputy Speaker The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England. Usage The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerf ...

(1946–1950) in Fraser's caucus.

joined (and then later resigned from) the Democratic Labour Party but remained as

Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...

of the New Zealand House of Representatives until he was defeated in the 1943 general election (standing as an independent, not for the DLP).

Notes

References

* {{New Zealand Labour Party Labour Party leadership 1940 Indirect elections New Zealand Labour Party leadership election