Clyde Leonard Carr (14 January 1886 – 18 September 1962) was a New Zealand politician of the
Labour Party, and was a minister of the
Congregational Church.
Biography
Early life and career
Carr was born in
Ponsonby,
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 ...
in 1886.
His father was the Rev. Thomas Goodwill Carr (died 1935).
Carr was educated at
Nelson College
Nelson College is the oldest state secondary school in New Zealand. It is an all-boys school in the City of Nelson that teaches from years 9 to 13. In addition, it runs a private preparatory school for year 7 and 8 boys. The school also has ...
from 1899 to 1902.
[''Nelson College Old Boys' Register, 1856–2006'', 6th edition] Ordained as a minister in 1915, he was on the
Christchurch City Council
The Christchurch City Council is the local government authority for Christchurch in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority elected to represent the people of Christchurch. Since October 2022, the Mayor of Christchurch is Phil Mauger, wh ...
between 1923 and 1927 and the Hospital Board in the 1920s, after working in
commerce
Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, nation ...
and
banking
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Becau ...
. Carr was also committed to animal welfare and in April 1936 he was elected to the office of President of the federated Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Political career
Carr joined the Labour Party in the early 1920s.
He unsuccessfully sought the Labour nomination in the in the , , and electorates.
He moved to
Timaru
Timaru (; mi, Te Tihi-o-Maru) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to ...
to contest the in the electorate; he had no prior family or other connection to this provincial town. His 1928 election win was an unexpected upset, ousting the popular local lawyer
Frank Rolleston
Francis Joseph Rolleston (11 May 1873 – 8 September 1946) was a New Zealand politician of the Reform Party (New Zealand), Reform Party.
Early life
Rolleston was born in Christchurch in 1873, the son of the last Superintendent (New Zealand), S ...
, who was
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 ...
, and
Minister of Defence
A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...
at the time.
Rolleston was the son of
William Rolleston
William Rolleston (19 September 1831 – 8 February 1903) was a New Zealand politician, public administrator, educationalist and Canterbury provincial superintendent.
Early life
Rolleston was born on 19 September 1831 at Maltby, Yorkshire as th ...
, one of the most influential politicians of the 19th century in
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...
.
Carr represented the Timaru electorate from 1928 to 1962, when he resigned. His long representation of the electorate is unique in that a provincial town was not a safe Labour seat, and he had no prior relation with the people of Timaru before moving there to contest the 1928 election.
He was a dissident, getting three votes when he ran against
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 ...
for Labour's leadership
in 1940 to replace
Savage
Savage may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Savage Glacier, Ellsworth Land
* Savage Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land
* Savage Ridge, Victoria Land
United States
* Savage, Maryland, an unincorporated community
* Savage, Minnesota, a city
* Savage, Mi ...
as party leader.
He was not appointed to any ministerial positions, but was
Chairman of Committees (1947–1949) and Deputy
Speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** I ...
(1946–1950). He was Vice-President of the
Labour Party (1933–1934) and President (1936–1937). Carr was widely read, and could assist the whips if the party was caught "on the hop" by speaking for his full-time while the party reorganised. He had a struggle to exist on his Parliamentary salary (£7 or $14 a week when he entered the house in 1928) and also contribute to local raffles and fundraisers. To save money he lived in his office, sleeping on a day-bed, although Nash tried to ban this for a time.
Death
![Clyde and Laurie's Headstone](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/43/Clyde_and_Laurie%27s_Headstone.jpg)
His wife died in April 1961 and he moved back to Christchurch soon after.
He resigned from Parliament on 31 May 1962, and died on 18 September 1962.
Honours
Carr was born in
Ponsonby,
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 ...
in 1886.
His father was the Rev. Thomas Goodwill Carr (died 1935).
Carr was educated at
Nelson College
Nelson College is the oldest state secondary school in New Zealand. It is an all-boys school in the City of Nelson that teaches from years 9 to 13. In addition, it runs a private preparatory school for year 7 and 8 boys. The school also has ...
from 1899 to 1902.
Ordained as a minister in 1915, he was on the
Christchurch City Council
The Christchurch City Council is the local government authority for Christchurch in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority elected to represent the people of Christchurch. Since October 2022, the Mayor of Christchurch is Phil Mauger, wh ...
between 1923 and 1927 and the Hospital Board in the 1920s, after working in
commerce
Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, nation ...
and
banking
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Becau ...
. Carr was also committed to animal welfare and in April 1936 he was elected to the office of President of the federated Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Notes
References
*
*
Books by Carr
*
*
*
**''The two books above contain sketches of parliamentarians: many published in the "New Zealand radio record." ''
*
*
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carr, Clyde
1886 births
1962 deaths
Christchurch City Councillors
Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
New Zealand Labour Party MPs
New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates
New Zealand male poets
New Zealand Congregationalists
People educated at Nelson College
20th-century New Zealand poets
20th-century New Zealand male writers