Sir Roy Emile Jack (12 January 1914 – 24 December 1977) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. He was a

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

minister and Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Biography

Early life and career

Jack was born in

New Plymouth New Plymouth ( mi, Ngāmotu) is the major city of the Taranaki region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after the English city of Plymouth, Devon from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. ...

in 1914. He was educated at

Wanganui Collegiate School Whanganui Collegiate School (formerly Wanganui Collegiate School; see here) is a state-integrated, coeducational, day and boarding, secondary school in Whanganui, Manawatū-Whanganui region, New Zealand. The school is affiliated to the Anglican c ...

and graduated from the Victoria University with an LLB. Jack was a Judge's Associate from 1935-1938, before enlisting with the

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) ( mi, Te Tauaarangi o Aotearoa, "The Warriors of the Sky of New Zealand"; previously ', "War Party of the Blue") is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zeala ...

during World War Two. He was first elected onto Wanganui City Council in 1946 and was deputy mayor in the following year. He served on the city council until 1955.

Member of Parliament

He represented the electorate of

Patea Patea ( ) is the third-largest town in South Taranaki District, New Zealand. It is on the western bank of the Pātea River, 61 kilometres north-west of Whanganui on . Hāwera is 27 km to the north-west, and Waverley 17 km to the east ...

from to 1963, then from to 1972, then Rangitikei from to 1977 when he died. The electorate became because of post-census boundary changes before the , and though a sitting MP he was challenged by

Ruth Richardson Ruth Margaret Richardson (born 13 December 1950) is a New Zealand retired politician of the National Party who served as Minister of Finance from 1990 to 1993. Her 1991 budget, which she dubbed the "Mother of all Budgets", formed the catalyst ...

(who he had advised about a career in politics).

George Chapman George Chapman (Hitchin, Hertfordshire, – London, 12 May 1634) was an English dramatist, translator and poet. He was a classical scholar whose work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been speculated to be the Rival Poet of Shak ...

who chaired the selection said that "t''he tensions were tremendous, but Roy was finally confirmed as the candidate."'' He had an election-night majority of 2067 in 1972, down from

Shelton Shelton may refer to: Places United Kingdom *Shelton, North Bedfordshire, in the parish of Dean and Shelton, Bedfordshire *Lower Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bedfordshire *Upper Shelton, in the parish of Marston Moretaine, Bedfor ...

's 1969 majority of 4214. In the 1972 Marshall Ministry of the last year of the Second National Government, he was

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

and

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...

. He was Chairman of Committees between 1961 and 1966. He was Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1967 to 1972 and 1976 to 1977.

Death

He died in 1977 on

Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...

in his office at parliament.

Honours

In the 1970 Queen's Birthday Honours, Jack was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

, for outstanding services as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

References

* * *Who's Who in New Zealand, 10th Edition 1961. , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Jack, Roy 1914 births 1977 deaths People educated at Whanganui Collegiate School Victoria University of Wellington alumni New Zealand National Party MPs New Zealand Knights Bachelor Speakers of the New Zealand House of Representatives Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates People from New Plymouth Royal New Zealand Air Force personnel Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand military personnel of World War II 20th-century New Zealand politicians New Zealand politicians awarded knighthoods Justice ministers of New Zealand