Clarence Farrington Skinner (19 January 1900 – 26 April 1962), commonly known as Jerry or Gerry Skinner, was a Labour politician from New Zealand, the third

deputy prime minister of New Zealand The deputy prime minister of New Zealand ( mi, Te pirimia tuarua o Aotearoa) is the second most senior member of the Cabinet of New Zealand. The officeholder usually deputises for the prime minister at official functions. The current deputy p ...

between 1957 and 1960, and a minister from 1943 to 1949 and 1957 to 1960 in the First and

Second The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ea ...

Labour governments.

Biography

Early life

Skinner was born on 19 January 1900 in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

, before subsequently emigrating to

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

. His father was a missionary in Te Kopuru, near Hokianga. Skinner settled in the

Waitaki District Waitaki District is a territorial authority district that is located in the Canterbury and Otago regions of the South Island of New Zealand. It straddles the traditional border between the two regions, the Waitaki River, and its seat is Oamaru. ...

and married Julia Buckley Gray of

Palmerston North Palmerston North (; mi, Te Papa-i-Oea, known colloquially as Palmy) is a city in the North Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Manawatū-Whanganui region. Located in the eastern Manawatu Plains, the city is near the north bank of the ...

in 1924. They were to have two sons together, who later went into business in Westport together. Skinner established himself politically as a union leader in Westport whilst working as a carpenter by trade. He then turned his profession to farming up until the depression in the early 1930s. He distinguished himself after being elected the president of the

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 L ...

Medical Association. He was instrumental in setting up a co-operative medical insurance scheme for labourers working building the Waitaki hydroelectric station alongside Andy Davidson,

Arnold Nordmeyer Sir Arnold Henry Nordmeyer (born Heinrich Arnold Nordmeyer, 7 February 1901 – 2 February 1989) was a New Zealand politician. He served as Minister of Finance (1957–1960) and later as Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition ...

and Gervan &

Ethel McMillan Ethel Emma McMillan (née Black, 12 May 1904 – 13 August 1987) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. She was a Member of Parliament for Dunedin electorates for 22 years, but despite her political seniority, was not appointed a c ...

. All subsequently becoming prominent members of the Labour party.

Military career

Skinner served in the

New Zealand Army , image = New Zealand Army Logo.png , image_size = 175px , caption = , start_date = , country = , branch = ...

in the Middle East during World War II. Starting out as a Sapper in the fourth reinforcements, Skinner rose to the rank of Major in the North African campaign. He was wounded in action in 1942 and was

mentioned in dispatches To be mentioned in dispatches (or despatches, MiD) describes a member of the armed forces whose name appears in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their gallant or meritorious action in the face ...

. He was later awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC ...

in 1943 for mine clearing during the

First Battle of El Alamein The First Battle of El Alamein (1–27 July 1942) was a battle of the Western Desert campaign of the Second World War, fought in Egypt between Axis (German and Italian) forces of the Panzer Army Africa—which included the under Field Marsha ...

. At night he had cleared the way for Allied tanks to launch a counterattack to an Axis breakthrough. In June 1943 he was undertaking a lecturing tour of Britain for the Ministry of Information when he was recalled to New Zealand upon receiving a promotion to cabinet because of his fine record as a soldier by Prime Minister Peter Fraser.

Member of Parliament

Skinner was a Member of Parliament from 1938 to 1962; he was MP for Motueka between 1938 and 1946 (having defeated new MP

Keith Holyoake Sir Keith Jacka Holyoake, (; 11 February 1904 – 8 December 1983) was the 26th prime minister of New Zealand, serving for a brief period in 1957 and then from 1960 to 1972, and also the 13th governor-general of New Zealand, serving from 197 ...

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the authoritarian regime. ** State-owned railway networks are created by merger, in France ...

), then MP for Buller from 1946 to 1962. Early on in his career as an MP, Skinner was somewhat sympathetic to the plight of

John A. Lee John Alfred Alexander Lee (31 October 1891 – 13 June 1982) was a New Zealand politician and writer. He is one of the more prominent avowed socialists in New Zealand's political history. Lee was elected as a member of parliament in 1922 ...

, but did not to support him openly. Skinner made good impressions as an MP and gained a reputation for possessing "down-to-earth Kiwi common sense".

First Labour Government

Between 1943 and 1949 he held several ministries; Lands, Rehabilitation, Valuation and State Forests. As Minister of Rehabilitation he distinguished himself in the area of soldier resettlement, enabling returned servicemen to return to live and work in New Zealand following World War II. As a minister Skinner gained a reputation of sincerity, which helped his otherwise lackings as an orator. Walter Nash and Clarence Skinner

Skinner was seen by many as Labour's rising star. In recognition of this, he was subsequently elected deputy-leader of the Labour Party in

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

while it was in opposition. However, there had been speculation that he had sought the leadership, but this was dismissed as merely media gossip. In the attempted coup against

Walter Nash Sir Walter Nash (12 February 1882 – 4 June 1968) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 27th prime minister of New Zealand in the Second Labour Government from 1957 to 1960. He is noted for his long period of political service, hav ...

's leadership in 1954, Skinner sided with Nash and his status as the deputy-leader was reaffirmed when he remained unopposed in the position. In 1956 he suffered a heart attack, but made a good recovery in the following months.

Second Labour Government

Following Labour's victory in the 1957 election, Skinner became

Deputy Prime Minister A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...

in Walter Nash's ministry. He also held the Lands and

Agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people ...

portfolios. In government, Skinner still did not make further impressions in public opinion, where he was still seen by the public as merely in Nash's shadow. As Minister of Agriculture Skinner fought against unfair trading practices in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

regarding New Zealand's dairy imports. New Zealand faced a recurring problem. Dairy prices had fallen drastically, largely because a number of countries were 'dumping' subsidized butter. Skinner led a delegation of officials which persuaded the British government to reduced tariff preferences for New Zealand goods in return for exempting British goods from quantitative restrictions. He likewise passed an act of parliament to safeguard New Zealand's livestock against Hydatid disease. As a result of his work in the area, it is said that Skinner was an instrumental figure in the establishment of New Zealand's pulp and paper industry. A notable feature of the Second Labour Government was Nash's frequent absences from the country. This left Skinner to be

acting Prime Minister An acting prime minister is a cabinet member (often in Westminster system countries) who is serving in the role of prime minister, whilst the individual who normally holds the position is unable to do so. The role is often performed by the deput ...

both frequently, and for lengthy periods. He was effectively in charge of the governments domestic affairs whilst Nash busied himself with international matters. His first wife died in 1957 and in 1958 he married Lois Mehaffey. Skinner was the acting Prime Minister at the time of his wedding.

Opposition

Following the Labour defeat at the 1960 election, Skinner again became Deputy Leader of the Opposition. Walter Nash favoured Skinner as his successor and was planning to announce his retirement as leader at Labour's 1962 party conference to clear the way for Skinner. The media and public were widely anticipating Skinner to lead Labour at the 1963 election. After Skinner's sudden death (only a week before the 1962 conference) Nash then favoured

Fred Hackett Frederick Hackett (1901 – 19 March 1963) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. He was a minister in both the First and Second Labour Governments of New Zealand and later the deputy leader of the opposition. Early life Hackett w ...

to replace him after he had been elected Skinner's successor as deputy leader. However, Hackett then too died leaving Nash to be replaced by

when he eventually resigned in 1963. It was speculated that Skinner had died with the knowledge that the party leadership would soon be his and that the caucus had already approved of his succession to Nash, however Nash strongly denied the suggestion.

Death

Skinner attended the

Anzac Day , image = Dawn service gnangarra 03.jpg , caption = Anzac Day Dawn Service at Kings Park, Western Australia, 25 April 2009, 94th anniversary. , observedby = Australia Christmas Island Cocos (Keeling) Islands Cook Islands Ne ...

ceremony at the

Wellington Cenotaph The Wellington Cenotaph, also known as the Wellington Citizens' War Memorial, is a war memorial located on the intersection of Lambton Quay and Bowen Street in Wellington, New Zealand. It commemorates the war dead of the two world wars. The ceno ...

as opposition representative before returning to his home in Tākaka later in the day. He died in his sleep early the next morning, aged 62. He was survived by his second wife and two sons. One of his sons, Terry, was the longtime secretary of Labour's Southern Buller electorate committee. After his father's death, he stood for the Labour nomination at the Buller by-election but lost out to

Bill Rowling Sir Wallace Edward Rowling (; 15 November 1927 – 31 October 1995), commonly known as Bill Rowling, was a New Zealand politician who was the 30th prime minister of New Zealand from 1974 to 1975. He held office as the parliamentary leader of t ...

. He remained on friendly terms with Rowling and continued as secretary for many years.

Notes

References

* * * * *''Who's Who in New Zealand'', 7th Edition 1961.
Obituary in Nelson Photo NewsPhoto (downloadable) of Clarence Skinner as Minister of Rehabilitation
, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Skinner, Jerry 1900 births 1962 deaths New Zealand Labour Party MPs Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand New Zealand people of World War II New Zealand military personnel of World War II Australian emigrants to New Zealand Deputy Prime Ministers of New Zealand People from Motueka Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates New Zealand recipients of the Military Cross 20th-century New Zealand politicians