Sir John Richard Harrison (23 May 1921 – 5 September 2003) was a New Zealand politician. After serving in a number of capacities in the National Party, he served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1978 to 1984.

Early life

Harrison was born in

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

, New Zealand, on 23 May 1921. 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

Canterbury University The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was f ...

, from where he graduated with a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

. 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 ...

, Harrison served in the army, and saw active service in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. He remained in the army for several years after the war. After leaving the military, he established himself as a farmer, although remained active as an army reservist. He served as commander of the reservist Hawke's Bay Regiment from 1956 to 1959. In 1948, he married Margaret Kelly, the daughter of E. J. Kelly. They had three sons and one daughter.

Political career

In the 1963 election, Harrison stood for Parliament in the electorate of

Hawke's Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region is ...

, and was successful. He served as a National Party

backbencher In Westminster and other parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a member of parliament (MP) or a legislator who occupies no governmental office and is not a frontbench spokesperson in the Opposition, being instead simply a member of the " ...

for six years. After the 1969 election, he was made 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 ...

, and was Chairman of Committees in 1972, and again from 1976 to 1978. In 1978, he was elected Speaker after the death of

Roy Jack Sir Roy Emile Jack (12 January 1914 – 24 December 1977) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. He was a cabinet minister and Speaker of the House of Representatives. Biography Early life and career Jack was born in New Plym ...

. His Speakership ended at the 1984 election, when National Government lost, and when Harrison lost the election in the Hawke's Bay electorate to Bill Sutton. In the 1980 Queen's Birthday Honours, Harrison 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 ...

, two years after becoming speaker.

Death

Harrison died on 5 September 2003.

Notes

References

* * * , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Harrison, Richard 1921 births 2003 deaths New Zealand Army personnel New Zealand farmers New Zealand military personnel of World War II New Zealand National Party MPs People from Hastings, New Zealand Speakers of the New Zealand House of Representatives Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives People educated at Whanganui Collegiate School Unsuccessful candidates in the 1984 New Zealand general election New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates New Zealand Knights Bachelor New Zealand politicians awarded knighthoods New Zealand expatriates in Italy