Sir Ethelbert Alfred Ransom (19 March 1868 – 22 May 1943) was a New Zealand politician of the

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 ...

, then its successor the United Party, and from 1936, the National Party. He was a cabinet minister from 1928 to 1935 in the United Government, and was acting

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

in 1930 and in 1935.

Early life

Ransom was born in 1868 in Lower Hutt. He received his education at Lower Hutt Primary, where he was school mate with

Thomas Wilford Sir Thomas Mason Wilford (20 June 1870 – 22 June 1939) was a New Zealand politician. He held the seats of Wellington Suburbs then Hutt continuously for thirty years, from 1899 to 1929. Wilford was leader of the New Zealand Liberal Party, and ...

. He played rugby and tennis during his youth. During the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

, he was an officer in charge of the Ruahine Mounted Rifles. He was a sheep farmer until 1888, and then a saddler in Dannevirke. From 1920 onwards, he was sheep farming in the

Ākitio Ākitio is a coastal community in the Tararua District of the lower east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The Ākitio River runs for approximately 35 kilometres in a southeast by northwest direction, leading to the town of Weber, ...

district. He held numerous public offices: he was chairman of the

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region i ...

War Relief Association, chairman of the Dannevirke branch of the same organisation, chairman of the power board (until 1928), the first president of the local chamber of commerce, chairman of the fire board, member of the Dannevirke High School board, member of the executive of the Farmers' Union, and represented on the Dannevirke A&P Association. On 1 March 1893, Ransom married Antonette Katinka Sondergaard from

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

at her home town. They lost an infant daughter and a son in 1902 and 1905, respectively.

Political career

Ransom was elected onto the Dannevirke Borough Council in 1901. He stood for Mayor of Dannevirke in 1903, but was beaten by the

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

pastor Hans Madsen Ries in a closely fought contest. Ransom was Mayor of Dannevirke from 1910, when he succeeded Ries, to 1919. He represented the rural

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service ...

electorate of

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from

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, when he defeated

Reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement ...

's Archibald McNicol. From 1926 to 1928, he was senior whip and deputy leader of the United Party for the North Island. During the time of the United Government, he was

Minister of Public Works This list indicates government departments in various countries dedicated to public works or infrastructure. See also * Public works * Ministry or Board of Public Works, the imperial Chinese ministry overseeing public projects from the Tang ...

(1928–1930) under

Joseph Ward Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, (26 April 1856 – 8 July 1930) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 17th prime minister of New Zealand from 1906 to 1912 and from 1928 to 1930. He was a dominant figure in the Liberal and Unit ...

, and

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and Commissioner of State Forests (1930–1931) under George Forbes. He retained his portfolios until 1935 in the

United–Reform Coalition The United–Reform Coalition, also known as the National Political Federation from 1935, was a coalition between two of the three major parties of New Zealand, the United and Reform parties, from 1931 to 1936. The Coalition formed the Governme ...

. He was twice acting

; in 1930, when Forbes attended the Imperial Conference in London, and again in 1935, when Forbes was overseas. In 1940, he announced that he would not stand again at the next general election due to poor health, but he died in 1943 before the end of the parliamentary term.

Later life

In 1935, Ransom was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal, and he was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 1935 King's Birthday Honours. He died on 22 May 1943 in Dannevirke, where he is also buried. At the funeral, senior whip Walter Broadfoot represented the National Party, and 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 La ...

represented the First Labour Government. Ransom was survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. His wife died in 1952.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ransom, Ethelbert New Zealand National Party MPs Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand New Zealand Liberal Party MPs New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George 1868 births 1943 deaths Mayors of places in Manawatū-Whanganui United Party (New Zealand) MPs New Zealand farmers People from Lower Hutt New Zealand military personnel of the Second Boer War People from Dannevirke Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates New Zealand politicians awarded knighthoods