Charles Morgan Williams (21 April 1878 – 4 August 1970) was a mayor and

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for

Kaiapoi Kaiapoi is a town in the Waimakariri District of the Canterbury region, in the South Island of New Zealand. The town is located approximately 17 kilometres north of central Christchurch, close to the mouth of the Waimakariri River. It is con ...

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, 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, Kent, River Stour. ...

, New Zealand.

Early years: farming and business

C. Morgan Williams was born in North

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

in 1878, and worked as a letter sorter in London. There he was active in the Battersea Branch of the British Social Democratic Federation and later secretary of the Clapham Branch. He came to New Zealand in 1902, and worked as a farm labourer in the

district until 1906, when he bought and leased land in the Tram Road area and grew potatoes. On the peat land he developed an extensive drainage system to allow dairy farming and founded the Maesgwyn herd of pedigree

Ayrshire cattle The Ayrshire (IPA ) is a Scottish breed of dairy cattle. It originates in, and is named for, the county of Ayrshire in south-western Scotland. Ayrshires typically have red and white markings; the red can range from a shade of orange to a dark ...

. Williams purchased the property known as "Waverley" from Richard Evans in 1925. He also established the grain and produce business of C. Morgan Williams and Son in Charles Street, Kaiapoi.

Afforestation

Morgan Williams was closely associated with afforestation at Kaiapoi for over fifty years. He undertook block plantings on Council Reserves, and at

Ohoka Ohoka is a small semi-rural township on the northern outskirts of 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 ...

, Clarkville and Mandeville. In 1939 he was appointed by the Kaiapoi Borough Council as honorary supervisor of forests. At a public meeting in 1955, Williams received a presentation from the mayor

Norman Kirk Norman Eric Kirk (6 January 1923 – 31 August 1974) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 29th prime minister of New Zealand from 1972 until his sudden death in 1974. Born into poverty in Southern Canterbury, Kirk left school at ...

, in recognition of his service to the borough and his care of 245 acres of forest reserves.

Public service

Morgan Williams local body activities began with his election to the Kaiapoi Borough Council in 1927, he was elected mayor in 1947 and served a term. He joined the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

in 1913. He stood unsuccessfully for Labour in

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the c ...

, , 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 ...

, and

Mid-Canterbury Mid Canterbury (also spelt Mid-Canterbury and mid-Canterbury) is a traditional, semi-official subregion of New Zealand's Canterbury Region extending inland from the Pacific coast to the Southern Alps. It is one of four traditional sub-regions of C ...

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 ...

. He represented the

electorate of

from

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...

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 ...

, when he was defeated standing for

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. Williams was appointed a

Member 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 services, in the 1956 Queen's Birthday Honours, but for the rest of his life, he did not wear the medal as he considered it a community, and not a personal commendation. Williams was a chairman of the Dairy Produce Marketing Commission (Logan, p. 152). According to

Barry Gustafson Barry Selwyn Gustafson (born 1938) is a New Zealand political scientist and historian, and a leading political biographer. He served for nearly four decades as professor of political studies at the University of Auckland, and as Acting Directo ...

, he was ''regarded by some observers and colleagues as somewhat eccentric, but undoubtedly intelligent and able'', though in accusing

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of ''favouring fellow Catholics (from 1935)'' he was bigoted. He was one of

John A. Lee John Alfred Alexander Lee (31 October 1891 – 13 June 1982) was a New Zealand politician and writer. He is one of the more prominent avowed socialism in New Zealand, socialists in New Zealand's political history. Lee was elected as a me ...

's closest caucus friends.

Ormond Wilson George Hamish Ormond Wilson (18 November 1907 – 17 April 1988) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament representing the Labour Party, farmer, author and Chairman of the Historic Places Trust. He donated 30 acres of bush and his homestead to th ...

, in his "An Outsider Looks Back: Reflections on Experience" details Morgan Williams clash with

Walter Nash Sir Walter Nash (12 February 1882 – 4 June 1968) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 27th prime minister of New Zealand in the Second Labour Government from 1957 to 1960. He is noted for his long period of political service, havin ...

on the Universal Family Benefit ("the well-to-do already had theirs-tax rebates"), and

Bob Semple Robert Semple (21 October 1873 – 31 January 1955) was a union leader and later Minister of Public Works for the first Labour Government of New Zealand. He is also known for creating the Bob Semple tank. Early life He was born in Sofala, New ...

on freedom of speech laws with Semple boasting would "not allow Communist literature in Public Work Camps". Morgan Williams died in 1970. By his personal request, the funeral service was conducted by a former Minister of Finance, and parliamentary colleague, the Hon. Sir

Arnold Nordmeyer Sir Arnold Henry Nordmeyer (born Heinrich Arnold Nordmeyer, 7 February 1901 – 2 February 1989) was a New Zealand politician. He served as Minister of Finance (1957–1960) and later as Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition ...

. A son, Charles Thomas Williams, was also involved in local body affairs in Kaiapoi. Charles Williams was first elected to the council in 1937, serving at different times for more than twenty years altogether. He was deputy mayor under Norman Kirk from 1953 to 1957 and assumed the mayoralty when Kirk entered Parliament. A grandson, also called Morgan Williams, was a

Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment __NOTOC__ The Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment (''Te Kaitiaki Taiao a Te Whare Pāremata'' in Māori) is an independent Officer of the New Zealand Parliament appointed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the House of R ...

Quotes

;On Public Service *In 1965, Morgan Williams made his last attendance at the Kaiapoi Council Chambers (at the installation of the newly elected Council) and said: "the willingness of citizens to give their services free to the community was the very foundation of the democratic system of life". (Morgan Williams Papers, Alexander Turnbull Library, MS 998, Wellington). ;On Peter Fraser *"I have heard it said that he (Peter Fraser) forgets nothing and forgives nothing". *"As a party tactician Peter Fraser has no equal, he knows when to bounce and bluster his way out of a difficulty". (Quoted in Mary Logan, Nordy: Arnold Nordmeyer, Wellington, Steele Roberts 2008, p. 155).

Book

Morgan Williams wrote a book on his life, which is held at the Canterbury Museum Research Centre. It is a fascinating account of his early struggles and personal and political philosophy.

Notes

References

* * *Obituary, "The Press" 7 August 1970. {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Morgan New Zealand farmers New Zealand businesspeople New Zealand Labour Party MPs Social Democratic Party (New Zealand) politicians Welsh emigrants to New Zealand 1878 births 1970 deaths Mayors of places in Canterbury, New Zealand People from Kaiapoi Deputy mayors of places in New Zealand Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates New Zealand Members of the Order of the British Empire Unsuccessful candidates in the 1946 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1925 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1922 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1919 New Zealand general election