John Henry Williams (21 December 1918 – 12 December 1975) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Biography

Early life

Williams was born in

Lawrence Lawrence may refer to: Education Colleges and universities * Lawrence Technological University, a university in Southfield, Michigan, United States * Lawrence University, a liberal arts university in Appleton, Wisconsin, United States Preparator ...

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

on 21 December 1918. His family moved north and he was educated at

Kurow Kurow is a small town in the Waitaki District, New Zealand. It is located on the south bank of the Waitaki River, northwest of Oamaru. Description The name is an Anglicised form of the Māori name of the nearby mountain, Te Kohurau. In the ...

. Upon completing his education he moved to the

Wairarapa The Wairarapa (; ), a geographical region of New Zealand, lies in the south-eastern corner of the North Island, east of metropolitan Wellington and south-west of the Hawke's Bay Region. It is lightly populated, having several rural service ...

region and took up farming in the town of

Bideford Bideford ( ) is a historic port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is the main town of the Torridge local government district. Toponymy In ancient records Bideford is recorded as ''Bedeford'', ''By ...

. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Williams enlisted in the

New Zealand Army , image = New Zealand Army Logo.png , image_size = 175px , caption = , start_date = , country = , branch = ...

. He served in both Egypt and Italy rising to the rank of sergeant-major by the end of the war. After the war he returned to farming in Bideford and was allocated a 1,000 acre rehabilitation farm section, but later moved to farm at Te Ore Ore, near

Masterton Masterton ( mi, Whakaoriori), a large town in the Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand, operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa, a r ...

, instead. He later became a farming equipment salesman. He was also an executive member of the Masterton Secondary Schools' Board of Governors.

Political career

Williams was for many years a member of the Masterton Licensing Trust. He stood unsuccessfully for the Labour Party in the and for the marginal seat. In the and he was successful, and he represented the

electorate from 1969 to 1975. In 1974 he stood unsuccessfully for the role of Labour's junior

whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally e ...

. His majority in 1969 was 467 votes, and in 1972 was 1,086 votes. In the he was defeated by

Ben Couch Manuera Benjamin Rīwai Couch (27 June 1925 – 3 June 1996) was a New Zealand politician and rugby union player. He was a team-member of the All Blacks and the New Zealand Māori rugby union team in the 1940s. Early life Couch was born in 19 ...

. During the middle of the 1975 election campaign he was admitted to hospital with a serious heart condition, after collapsing, leaving him little opportunity to campaign. His wife Chriss said that long hours, local duties to constituents and late at night debates at Parliament led him to often return home greatly fatigued which contributed to his collapse. After spending four weeks in hospital he was discharged before being readmitted once again before finally being released to recuperate at home.

Death

He died shortly after the election at his home in Masterton, aged 56 years. The Masterton Licensing Trust instructed hotels to close early on the day of his funeral as a mark of respect for his service. A notification of Williams' death was the first message Bill Rowling received after moving in to the office of

Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest political party not in government, typical in countries utilizing the parliamentary system form of government. The leader of the opposition is typically se ...

References

1918 births 1975 deaths 20th-century New Zealand farmers New Zealand military personnel of World War II New Zealand Labour Party MPs Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates Unsuccessful candidates in the 1975 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1966 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1963 New Zealand general election People from Lawrence, New Zealand {{NewZealand-Labour-politician-stub