Patrick Joseph O'Regan (6 February 1869 – 24 April 1947) was a

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 Inangahua and Buller, in the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

of New Zealand. He was later appointed to the Legislative Council.

Early life

O'Regan was born in Charleston, on the

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

of New Zealand to Patrick O'Regan (an Irish immigrant and goldminer) and his wife Mary.

Political career

O'Regan represented

Inangahua Inangahua is a small settlement in the northwest of New Zealand's South Island. It consists of three settled areas: Inangahua Junction at the confluence of the Inangahua and Buller Rivers, north of Reefton and southeast of Westport; Inagahua ...

(–1896) and Buller (–1899) in the

New Zealand House of Representatives The House of Representatives is the sole chamber of the New Zealand Parliament. The House passes Law of New Zealand, laws, provides Ministers of the New Zealand Government, ministers to form Cabinet of New Zealand, Cabinet, and supervises the ...

. He was defeated in the when he stood for re-election in Buller. He was involved with the Knights of Labour and

Henry George Henry George (September 2, 1839 – October 29, 1897) was an American political economist and journalist. His writing was immensely popular in 19th-century America and sparked several reform movements of the Progressive Era. He inspired the eco ...

's Single Tax Movement. In 1896, O'Regan introduced the Proportional Representation Bill into Parliament: it failed to carry the second reading by only 6 votes. A lawyer by profession, O'Regan represented striking workers in 1913 and conscientious objectors charged with sedition in World War I. O'Regan supported Labour's

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 Lab ...

in the in and

Harry Holland Henry Edmund Holland (10 June 1868 – 8 October 1933) was an Australian-born newspaper owner, politician and unionist who relocated to New Zealand. He was the second leader of the New Zealand Labour Party. Early life Holland was born at G ...

in the in . However, he did not join the Labour Party. O'Regan was made a judge of the Court of Arbitration in 1937 and a member of the Legislative Council on 9 September 1946 and he held that position for the few months until his death in

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 ...

on 24 April 1947. He was the father of surgeon and activist Rolland O'Regan.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Oregan, Patrick Joseph 1869 births 1947 deaths Independent MPs of New Zealand Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council New Zealand Liberal Party MPs People from the West Coast, New Zealand Georgist politicians Unsuccessful candidates in the 1899 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1905 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1902 New Zealand general election Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates 19th-century New Zealand politicians 20th-century New Zealand judges 20th-century New Zealand lawyers 19th-century New Zealand lawyers

Early life

Political career

Further reading

References