Arthur Rosser (16 April 1864 – 15 February 1954) was a notable New Zealand builder, local-body politician and trade unionist.

Biography

Early life

He was born in

Oystermouth Oystermouth (a corruption of the Welsh name ''Ystum Llwynarth'' or ''Ystumllwynarth'') is a village (and former electoral ward) in the district of Mumbles, Swansea, Wales. It is part of the Mumbles community (civil parish). Description The ...

, Glamorganshire, Wales in 1864. His family migrated to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

when he was eight years old and grew up in the

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

suburb of Newton. Upon completing his education, Rosser became a builder by trade. Whilst working as a carpenter he married Sarah Louisa Craig on 30 November 1886.

Trade union career

After he was blacklisted by conservative building contractors due to his links with 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 ...

, Rosser took up a new career as a union organiser, the first in Auckland. Within twelve years he was involved in the formation of nine new trade unions and was himself the secretary of many of them, demonstrating a skill for arbitration. Over time arbitration was overtaken by collective bargaining as most new unionists favoured method. As a result, Rosser's more moderate views were at increasing odds with the more militant forces in the labour movement. This came to a head in 1910, when he was replaced as the president of the Auckland Trades and Labour Council by the more radical

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 ...

Political career

Through his role as a union secretary Rosser openly participated in politics. In the early 1900s he played a key role in establishing the Independent Political Labour League in Auckland, the first New Zealand Labour Party and the United Labour Party. Throughout his career, Rosser was an advocate of the moderate wing of the labour movement, arguing that organised labour should improve rather than replace capitalism. In the , he stood in the three-member electorate and came fourth. At the next election in , he came seventh. He was one of three candidates in the in the electorate and stood for the Independent Political Labour League when he came last. Rosser was elected to the

Auckland City Council Auckland City Council was the local government authority for Auckland City, New Zealand, from 1871 to 1 November 2010, when it and Auckland's six other city and district councils were amalgamated to form the Auckland Council. It was an elected b ...

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but lost his seat in 1903 and later failed to secure re-election in 1907, 1913 and

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

. He regained a seat in 1933, though in 1938 he lost his seat on the council, after standing as an independent. He was unexpectedly denied re-nomination by the Labour Party alongside sitting councillors

Ted Phelan Edward John Phelan (1874 – 28 March 1961) was a New Zealand trade unionist, politician and rugby league administrator. Biography Early life and union career Phelan was born in Auckland in 1874 and attended Wellesley Street School. He left scho ...

and George Gordon Grant. The next year he was expelled from a Labour Party as he had stood against Labour's official municipal candidates.

Later life and death

Rosser died at Auckland on 15 February 1954. He was survived by three daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosser, Arthur 1864 births 1954 deaths New Zealand builders Welsh emigrants to New Zealand New Zealand trade unionists Auckland City Councillors Unsuccessful candidates in the 1896 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1899 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1908 New Zealand general election Independent Political Labour League politicians New Zealand Liberal Party politicians New Zealand Labour Party politicians 19th-century New Zealand politicians 20th-century New Zealand politicians New Zealand justices of the peace Immigrants to former British colonies and protectorates in Oceania