Peter Michael Butler (31 May 1901 – 24 September 1995) was a New Zealand seaman, trade unionist, communist and local politician.

Biography

Early life

He was born in

Whiteabbey , translit_lang1 = , translit_lang1_type = Derivation: , translit_lang1_info = , translit_lang1_type1 = Meaning: , translit_lang1_info1 = , translit_lang2 = , translit_lang2_type = Derivation: , tra ...

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...

, Ireland, on 31 May 1901. Butler was largely self-educated, yet proved an effective speaker, writer and organiser later in life. At age 16 Butler joined the Mercantile Marine reserve, serving mostly in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

for the remainder of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. After the war Butler became one of the leaders of a militant faction in the seamen's union and briefly courted communist ideology, which he rejected strongly later in life. During the late 1920s and early 1930s (the duration of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

), Butler served as secretary of the Wellington Builders' and General Labourers' Union. On 18 December 1930, Peter Butler married Doris Annie Sevina Cooper at St Paul's Cathedral Church in Wellington (an Anglican church despite Butler being a committed Catholic). Later, he and Doris reaffirmed their marriage vows at a Catholic church in Johnsonville on 28 April 1938.

Political career

In 1928, he was an organiser for

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 ...

in his successful election campaign in Wellington East for the Labour Party. In the , he unsuccessfully stood for the Labour Party in the electorate against the incumbent,

George Sykes George Sykes (October 9, 1822 – February 8, 1880) was a career United States Army officer and a Union General during the American Civil War. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1842, and served in numerous conflicts, i ...

of the Reform Party. In the next election in , he was defeated by Robert Wright in the electorate. Butler had better success in local government. He was elected to the

Wellington City Council Wellington City Council is a territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the country's capital city Wellington, and ''de facto'' second-largest city (if the commonly considered parts of Wellington, the Upper Hutt, Porirua, Lower Hutt and ...

at the 1933 election, only after special votes were counted, and was to remain a councillor until 1941. In 1953, Butler was awarded the

Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal (french: link=no, Médaille du couronnement de la Reine Élizabeth II) is a commemorative medal instituted to celebrate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II on 2 June 1953. Award This medal was awarded a ...

. He attempted to make political comeback in the 1960s, standing several times for the council on the Labour ticket in

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

and a 1969 by-election. While polling strongly on all occasions he never managed to regain a seat.

Later life

Butler retired from his union positions in 1972. In the 1985 Queen's Birthday Honours, Butler was appointed a

Commander 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 services to the trade union movement. He died on 24 September 1995 and was buried at Whenua Tapu Cemetery near

Pukerua Bay Pukerua Bay is a small seaside suburb at the southern end of the Kapiti Coast, New Zealand. In local government terms it is the northernmost suburb of Porirua City, in the Wellington Region. It is 12 km north of the Porirua City Centre on ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Butler, Peter Michael 1901 births 1995 deaths New Zealand trade unionists Irish emigrants to New Zealand (before 1923) New Zealand communists People from County Antrim Wellington City Councillors New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Unsuccessful candidates in the 1935 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1931 New Zealand general election New Zealand Labour Party politicians Burials at Whenua Tapu Cemetery British Merchant Service personnel of World War I