Herbert Seton Stewart Kyle (29 August 1873 – 5 January 1955) was a member of the Reform Party and since 1936 National Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand.

Early life and profession

Kyle was born in Brunswick,

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia, in 1873. He received his education from

The Geelong College , motto_translation = Thus one goes to the stars , established = , type = Independent, co-educational, day and boarding, Christian school , denomination = in association with the Uniting ...

and the Melbourne Veterinary College. He was a vet in

Ballarat Ballarat ( ) is a city in the Central Highlands (Victoria), Central Highlands of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. At the 2021 Census, Ballarat had a population of 116,201, making it the third largest city in Victoria. Estimated resid ...

until 1899, when he migrated to New Zealand. He was a New Zealand government vet in Christchurch from 1901 to 1918. Afterwards, he had his private practice 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 / ...

Member of Parliament

The

electorate of

Riccarton Riccarton may refer to: New Zealand * Riccarton, New Zealand, a suburb of Christchurch ** Riccarton (New Zealand electorate), the electorate named after it ** The location of Riccarton Race Course * a locality on the Taieri Plains in Otago Scotlan ...

was contested by three candidates in the . George Witty was successful, with Kyle coming second and Jack McCullough coming third. Kyle won the Riccarton electorate in the 1925 election, and held it to

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 – ...

when he was defeated (he withdrew).

Independent

Kyle resigned from the National Party in 1942. He stated: "The National Party organization has built up a watertight compartment that makes one become a 'yes man' with expulsion as an alternative". Kyle thought it "better to retire from the party than to place on it the onus of expulsion, a point which the gentleman ( Sid Holland) who moved the resolution was expounding when I left the caucus meeting". Kyle remained an

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

until 1943, but did not contest the election in that year. In 1935, Kyle was awarded the

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir by King George V to commemorate his Silver J ...

. He was appointed an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, for public and local government services, in the

1953 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1953 for the United Kingdom were announced on 30 December 1952, to celebrate the year passed and mark the beginning of 1953. This was the first New Year Honours since the accession of Queen Elizabeth II. The ''Honours list'' ...

Death

Kyle died on 5 January 1955, and was buried in

Bromley Cemetery Bromley Cemetery is a cemetery in Christchurch, New Zealand. It occupies approximately 10 hectares to the east of the city centre, on the corner of Keighleys Road and Linwood Avenue. The Christchurch City Council maintains and administers the ce ...

Notes

References

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Kyle, Bert 1873 births 1955 deaths Burials at Bromley Cemetery Independent MPs of New Zealand New Zealand farmers New Zealand MPs for Christchurch electorates New Zealand National Party MPs Reform Party (New Zealand) MPs New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire Australian emigrants to New Zealand Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand veterinarians Unsuccessful candidates in the 1922 New Zealand general election People educated at Geelong College Chancellors of Lincoln University (New Zealand) People from Brunswick, Victoria