Sir George Matthew Fowlds (15 September 1860
– 17 August 1934) was a New Zealand politician of the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
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.
Biography
Early life and career
Fowlds was born in
Fenwick, East Ayrshire
Fenwick is a village in East Ayrshire, Scotland. In 2019, its population was estimated to be 989. Fenwick is the terminus of the M77 following its extension which was opened in April 2005, at the beginning of the Kilmarnock bypass.
History
T ...
, Scotland. His father, Matthew Fowlds, was a
handloom
A loom is a device used to weave cloth and tapestry. The basic purpose of any loom is to hold the warp threads under tension to facilitate the interweaving of the weft threads. The precise shape of the loom and its mechanics may vary, but th ...
weaver and was the last surviving member of the
Fenwick Weavers' Society
The Fenwick Weavers' Society was a professional association created in the village of Fenwick, East Ayrshire, Scotland in 1761.
In 1769, the society formed a consumer co-operative for the benefit of members.
The original purpose of the society ...
. He lived to be 101 years old.
[ As a boy, George Fowlds weaved linen sheets. He attended Hairshaw School in Waterside. He did his apprenticeship at a clothier in ]Kilmarnock
Kilmarnock (, sco, Kilmaurnock; gd, Cill Mheàrnaig (IPA: ʰʲɪʎˈveaːɾnəkʲ, "Marnock's church") is a large town and former burgh in East Ayrshire, Scotland and is the administrative centre of East Ayrshire, East Ayrshire Council. ...
, and later worked in Glasgow
Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...
, where he attended night classes at Anderson's College
The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal chart ...
. After completing his studies in commerce he worked several jobs as a general labourer, fencer, carpenter and painter before deciding to leave Scotland.
Fowlds emigrated to South Africa in 1882 and lived in Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...
, Beaufort West
Beaufort West (Afrikaans: ''Beaufort-Wes''; Xhosa: ''eBhofolo'') is a town in the Western Cape province in South Africa. It is the largest town in the arid Great Karoo region, and is known as the "Capital of the Karoo". It forms part of the Beauf ...
, and Bultfontein
Bultfontein is a town in the Free State province of South Africa with a total population of about 23,400 people. It is situated in the Tswelopele Local Municipality, about north of Bloemfontein. The town site was laid out in 1873; it had been d ...
. In 1884, he married Mary Ann Fulton, who was also from Fenwick. In the following year, they moved to Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
, New Zealand, as the South African climate was detrimental to his wife's health. He built up a business as a clothier in Victoria Street. In New Zealand he became involved in community affairs becoming a prominent Freemason, Rotarian, member of the Workers' Educational Association
The Workers' Educational Association (WEA), founded in 1903, is the UK's largest voluntary sector provider of adult education and one of Britain's biggest charities. The WEA is a democratic and voluntary adult education movement. It delivers lea ...
(WEA) and was chairman of the Congregational Union of New Zealand The first Congregational Church in New Zealand was formed in 1840 by Rev. Barzillai Quaife, who was a missionary to the Maori. This cause did not give rise to any lasting church, neither did one formed in New Plymouth in February 1842. Mr. Jonas Woo ...
.
Member of Parliament
In the , Fowlds stood in the three-member electorate and came seventh. Fowlds represented the City of Auckland electorate from 1899
Events January 1899
* January 1
** Spanish rule ends in Cuba, concluding 400 years of the Spanish Empire in the Americas.
** Queens and Staten Island become administratively part of New York City.
* January 2 –
**Bolivia sets up a c ...
to 1902
Events
January
* January 1
** The Nurses Registration Act 1901 comes into effect in New Zealand, making it the first country in the world to require state registration of nurses. On January 10, Ellen Dougherty becomes the world's f ...
, and then the Grey Lynn
Grey Lynn is an inner suburb of Auckland, New Zealand, located to the west of the city centre. Originally a separate borough, Grey Lynn amalgamated with Auckland City in 1914.
Grey Lynn is centred on Grey Lynn Park, which was not part of the ...
electorate from 1902 to 1911
A notable ongoing event was the Comparison of the Amundsen and Scott Expeditions, race for the South Pole.
Events January
* January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory ...
.
He was a firm believer in a single tax
A single tax is a system of taxation based mainly or exclusively on one tax, typically chosen for its special properties, often being a tax on land value. The idea of a single tax on land values was proposed independently by John Locke and Bar ...
and was by extension the president of the New Zealand Land Values League, a Georgist
Georgism, also called in modern times Geoism, and known historically as the single tax movement, is an economic ideology holding that, although people should own the value they produce themselves, the economic rent derived from land—including ...
group dedicated to implementing a land value tax
A land value tax (LVT) is a levy on the value of land (economics), land without regard to buildings, personal property and other land improvement, improvements. It is also known as a location value tax, a point valuation tax, a site valuation ta ...
. In 1905 Fowlds decided to return to Scotland for his father's 100th birthday. He decided he needed a New Zealand passport
New Zealand passports (Māori: ''Uruwhenua Aotearoa'') are issued to New Zealand citizens for the purpose of international travel by the Department of Internal Affairs. New Zealand has a passport possession rate of around 70% of the population ...
when his ship was about to leave, though they were not then usually required for overseas travel; an inconvenience to the department
Department may refer to:
* Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility
Government and military
*Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...
, and to the Governor who then personally signed each New Zealand passport.
Though critical of some of the policies of Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier.
A premier will normally be a head of governm ...
Richard Seddon
Richard John Seddon (22 June 1845 – 10 June 1906) was a New Zealand politician who served as the List of prime ministers of New Zealand, 15th Prime Minister of New Zealand, premier (prime minister) of New Zealand from 1893 until his death. ...
, Fowlds did not support the New Liberal Party in 1905. He was ''"in favour of the referendum
A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
and an elective Executive"''. He immediately earned a reputation as a left-wing among Liberals and was kept out of the cabinet by Seddon, who though he would have made a good minister but for his belief in the single tax.
Seddon's successor, Sir Joseph Ward
Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, (26 April 1856 – 8 July 1930) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 17th prime minister of New Zealand from 1906 to 1912 and from 1928 to 1930. He was a dominant figure in the Liberal and Unit ...
, appointed Fowlds to the cabinet on condition he hold in abeyance some of his more radical views. He was appointed Minister of Education and Minister of Public Health
The Minister for Public Health and Women's Health is a junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. The minister is not a member of the Scottish Cabinet, however, they report to the Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care. ...
in 1906 before dropping the health portfolio in 1909 when he was instead designated Minister of Customs The Minister of Customs was a position in the Cabinet of the Government of Canada responsible for the administration of customs revenue collection in Canada. This position was originally created by Statute 31 Vict., c. 43, and assented to on 22 May ...
and Minister of Immigration.
Independent Liberal
He resigned from 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 ...
in September 1911 over the single tax issue. He stayed in Parliament so he could remain a private member until there was ''"a truly democratic party in a position to form a government"''. His resignation from the ministry was seen as a contributing factor to the fall of the Liberal government in 1912. In 1911, Fowlds introduced the Proportional Representation And Effective Voting Bill (86-1). However, this bill failed to be passed into law.
Fowlds stood as an Independent Liberal Labour candidate for Grey Lynn in the 1911 election. He then became involved in the task of creating a moderate Labour Party in New Zealand and was a high-profile attendee of the Labour Unity Conferences
In April 1912 and July 1913, two "unity conferences" were held to discuss and determine the future of organised labour in New Zealand. The events mainly centred around the debate over whether industrial action or political activity should be the m ...
. He joined the United Labour Party (ULP) and was chairman of the Auckland ULP from 1912 to 1913. At the next election in 1914
This year saw the beginning of what became known as World War I, after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, heir to the Austrian throne was Assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, assassinated by Serbian nationalist Gavrilo Princip. It als ...
he contested Grey Lynn again as the ULP candidate. But, 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 ...
, he was again a Liberal. After his third consecutive defeat he withdrew from politics and devoted himself to education governance.
Later life and death
Fowlds then became president of Auckland University College
, mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work
, established = 1883; years ago
, endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021)
, budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021)
, chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant
, vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
. He was the first chairman of Massey Agricultural College
Massey University ( mi, Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa) is a university based in Palmerston North, New Zealand, with significant campuses in Albany and Wellington. Massey University has approximately 30,883 students, 13,796 of whom are extramural or ...
from 1927 to 1934.
He died on 17 August 1934 at Auckland and was survived by his wife.
Awards and legacy
Fowlds was made 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 ...
in 1919, and 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 public services, in the 1928 King's Birthday Honours.
The personal papers of Sir George Fowlds are housed i
Special Collections
at the University of Auckland Library. The extensive collection covers political, personal, business and social matters and includes letters, newspaper clippings, speech drafts, articles, sermons, accounts books, photographs and cartoons.
Fowlds Park
Fowlds Park is a small public reserve in the northern part of Mount Albert, in Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the c ...
was named after him in 1933.
Further reading
Works of Fowlds
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:*This is reprinted from the ''Auckland Star'' of 3 June 1910.
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Works about Fowlds
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:*This is reprinted from the ''N.Z. Town and Country Life'' of 25 June 1913.
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:*This is reprinted from the ''New Zealand draper'' of 30 November 1921.
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:* This is a version of an undated M.A. thesis from the University of Auckland.
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Notes
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fowlds, George
1860 births
1934 deaths
New Zealand Knights Bachelor
New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
New Zealand Liberal Party MPs
Independent MPs of New Zealand
New Zealand Labour Party (1910) politicians
United Labour Party (New Zealand) politicians
Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand
New Zealand Congregationalists
Scottish emigrants to New Zealand
People from East Ayrshire
New Zealand education ministers
Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1896 New Zealand general election
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1911 New Zealand general election
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1914 New Zealand general election
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1919 New Zealand general election
Scottish emigrants to South Africa
Chancellors of Massey University
19th-century New Zealand politicians
New Zealand politicians awarded knighthoods