Harry Ernest Combs (14 January 1881 – 12 June 1954) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Biography

Early life and career

Combs was born in Napier in 1881. He received a state school education in Gisborne. He began work as a runner for '' The Poverty Bay Herald''. He then became a messenger at the post office and became involved with the Post and Telegraph Employees' Association. In 1908 he married Ethel Bessie Webster. He was the Post and Telegraph Employees' Association's president between 1909 and 1911 and then general secretary from 1916 to 1926. Additionally he was the editor of the association's journal ''Katipo'' for twenty years between 1906 and 1926. He played a leading part in the demands for a reclassification of the service in 1918 and in 1920 he led a deputation to Prime Minister

William Massey William Ferguson Massey (26 March 1856 – 10 May 1925), commonly known as Bill Massey, was a politician who served as the 19th prime minister of New Zealand from May 1912 to May 1925. He was the founding leader of the Reform Party, New Zea ...

on the question of cost-of-living pay increases. He was also Secretary of the New Zealand Rugby Union from 1919 to 1926 before establishing his own printing business (in partnership). He was head of the Civic Press Company Limited printing firm.

Political career

Combs unsuccessfully contested the

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

and

1925 Events January * January 1 ** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Italia ...

elections in the seat of . He then became Labour's campaign organiser in in

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

and in

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 ...

. At the 1944 local elections he was nominated to be Labour's candidate for the mayoralty, one of five candidates he declined to stand for selection with Labour Party president James Roberts prevailing. He represented the

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

electorates of from

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

to 1946, and then from

1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...

to 1954 when he died. Combs was Parliamentary

Under-Secretary Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is al ...

to the Minister of Finance from 1947 to 1949. In 1953, Combs was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal. In February 1954 he announced he would retire at the general election later that year owing to ill health.

Death

Combs died on 12 June 1954 in Wellington. His death necessitated a by-election, but as a general election was due in November 1954 the nominated Labour candidate

Henry May Henry May may refer to: *Henry May (American politician) (1816–1866), U.S. Representative from Maryland * Henry May (New Zealand politician) (1912–1995), New Zealand politician * Henry May (VC) (1885–1941), Scottish recipient of the Victoria C ...

was not opposed, so was declared returned unopposed.

Notes

References

* * New Zealand Labour Party MPs 1881 births 1954 deaths Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for Wellington electorates Unsuccessful candidates in the 1925 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1922 New Zealand general election New Zealand trade unionists {{NZLabour-politician-stub