Alexander Lawrence Herdman (17 July 1869 – 13 June 1953) was a New Zealand politician. He served as

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...

, and Minister of Police. He is known for his reforms of the civil service and for his hard line on law and order.

Early life

Herdman was born in

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

. He studied at

Otago Boys' High School , motto_translation = "The ‘right’ learning builds a heart of oak" , type = State secondary, day and boarding , established = ; years ago , streetaddress= 2 Arthur Street , region = Dunedin , state = Otago , zipcod ...

, and then gained a law degree while working part-time. He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in 1894, and established a practice in

Naseby Naseby is a village in West Northamptonshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 Census was 687. The village is 14 mi (22.5 km) north of Northampton, 13.3 mi (21.4 km) northeast of Daventry, and 7&nb ...

the following year. He also worked in

Palmerston Palmerston may refer to: People * Christie Palmerston (c. 1851–1897), Australian explorer * Several prominent people have borne the title of Viscount Palmerston ** Henry Temple, 1st Viscount Palmerston (c. 1673–1757), Irish nobleman an ...

, where he joined the local

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

lodge. He would retain his connection with the Freemasons over his career, eventually grand master of the Grand Lodge of New Zealand.

Early political career

Herdman began a political career in

, being elected mayor in 1898. He eventually decided to abandon this by moving to

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) 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 second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

in 1902, but shortly after he arrived, he was invited to return and stand as a parliamentary candidate in Mount Ida, the

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

electorate which encompassed Naseby. In the 1902 election, Herdman ran on a strongly anti-government platform, harshly criticising the governing

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

. He was elected, and joined the unorganised group of independents who opposed the Liberals. He did not, however, move back to Naseby, instead representing his seat as an absentee. In the 1905 election, Herdman was defeated. In the 1908 election, he contested the seat of

Wellington North Wellington North was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1953. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act, 1867 which divided the County of Well ...

, and was elected. The following year,

William Massey William Ferguson Massey (26 March 1856 – 10 May 1925), commonly known as Bill Massey, was a politician who served as the 19th prime minister of New Zealand from May 1912 to May 1925. He was the founding leader of the Reform Party, New Zea ...

organised the opposition into the Reform Party, which Herdman became part of. One of Herdman's early concerns in

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

was the reform of the

public service A public service is any service intended to address specific needs pertaining to the aggregate members of a community. Public services are available to people within a government jurisdiction as provided directly through public sector agencies ...

. Herdman believed that the service was poorly organised and subject to political patronage, particularly under the government of

Richard Seddon Richard John Seddon (22 June 1845 – 10 June 1906) was a New Zealand politician who served as the List of prime ministers of New Zealand, 15th Prime Minister of New Zealand, premier (prime minister) of New Zealand from 1893 until his death. ...

. In the 1911 election, the Reform Party won office as the Reform Government, and Herdman was able to push through his reform proposals – the Public Service Act of 1912 established uniform conditions of appointment and promotion, and established a supervisory commissioner.

Ministerial career

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 ...

, Herdman served as

(10 July 1912 – 4 February 1918),

(10 July 1912 – 12 August 1915), and Minister of Stamp Duties (13 July 1912 – 12 August 1915). In these roles, he gained a reputation as a hard-liner, being described by a contemporary as "ready to employ force ruthlessly for the purpose of upholding law and order". Herdman is believed to have had a major role in the suppression of the

Waihi miners' strike The Waihi miners' strike was a major strike action in 1912 by gold miners in the New Zealand town of Waihi. It is widely regarded as the most significant industrial action in the history of New Zealand's labour movement. It resulted in one strik ...

, and of the waterfront strike the following year. Both were criticised by many left-wing groups as heavy-handed and repressive, but were defended by the government as necessary steps to preserve order. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Herdman supported strong measures against anyone protesting New Zealand's participation. As Minister responsible for Police, Herdman also responded harshly to attempts by police officers to form a union, prohibiting the move and attempting to drive the instigators out of the force.

Judicial career

In addition to his political ambitions, Herdman was also interested in becoming a judge of the (original)

Supreme Court A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

. As Attorney-General, he had powers to appoint judges, and in 1918, when a position became vacant, he appointed himself. This move was criticised by many as self-interested, especially as Herdman's career as a lawyer had not been particularly distinguished. He served as a judge both in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

and

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

, and briefly acted as Chief Justice in 1929. In the 1929 King's Birthday Honours, Herdman was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

Attempted return to politics

In 1935, he resigned from his judicial position to seek re-election to Parliament, contesting the

seat of Parnell. He was officially an independent, although he had close links to the Democrat Party. He was unsuccessful, and subsequently retired to the

Lake Okataina A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

area. He died in

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...

on 13 June 1953.

Notes

References

* * , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Herdman, Alexander 1869 births 1953 deaths Attorneys-General of New Zealand Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand Mayors of places in Otago Reform Party (New Zealand) MPs Politicians from Dunedin New Zealand Freemasons Unsuccessful candidates in the 1905 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1935 New Zealand general election Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates New Zealand MPs for Wellington electorates People educated at Otago Boys' High School New Zealand Knights Bachelor New Zealand politicians awarded knighthoods Justice ministers of New Zealand