William James Rogers (10 January 1887 – 6 July 1971) was a New Zealand politician. He was a long-serving

Mayor of Wanganui The mayor of Whanganui (previously Wanganui) is the head of the Whanganui District Council. Since 1872, there have been 29 mayors. Andrew Tripe is the current mayor. History The Wanganui Town Board was first formed in 1862, and its first chairman ...

, and a member of the

New Zealand Legislative Council The New Zealand Legislative Council was the upper house of the General Assembly of New Zealand between 1853 and 1951. An earlier arrangement of legislative councils for the colony and provinces existed from 1841 when New Zealand became a col ...

from 1940 until its abolition in 1950.

Biography

Rogers worked as gardener and miner at Denniston and became involved in trade unionism via the Miners' Union. He was later the secretary of the Wanganui Watersiders' Union. Rogers' daughter, Ida, married electrical engineer

Philip Blakeley Philip William Blakeley (3 April 1915 – 31 May 1994) was a New Zealand electrical engineer and engineering administrator. He was born in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, on 3 April 1915. He married Ida Rogers, the daughter of Bill Rogers (New Zealan ...

in 1938. Rogers was Mayor of

Wanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whang ...

from 1927 to 1931, and again from 1935 to 1953. He contested the , , and s in the electorate for the Labour Party, but lost to Bill Veitch, the incumbent. He was appointed to the Legislative Council by the First Labour Government, and was a member from 15 July 1940 to 14 July 1947; and 15 July 1947 to 31 December 1950. Appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the

1954 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1954 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1954 to celebrat ...

, Rogers died in 1971.

References

1887 births 1971 deaths Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council New Zealand Labour Party MLCs Unsuccessful candidates in the 1925 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1928 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1931 New Zealand general election Mayors of Wanganui New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire {{NewZealand-Labour-politician-stub