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Daniel Giles Sullivan (18 July 1882 – 8 April 1947) was a New Zealand
Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
, Cabinet Minister and
Mayor of Christchurch The Mayor of Christchurch is the head of the municipal government of Christchurch, New Zealand, and presides over the Christchurch City Council. The mayor is directly elected using a First Past the Post electoral system. The current mayor, Ph ...
.


Biography


Early life and career

Sullivan was born in Waltham, Christchurch on 18 July 1882. His parents were the Irish-born labourer and carter Florance (Flurence) Sullivan and Mary Dow who was from Scotland. The Sullivans were a large family and rather poor, resulting in Sullivan selling newspapers to financially assist his family. Due to this, his formal education was cut short at age 11 but not before passing proficiency. Regardless, he continued to self-educate and voraciously read on a wide range of topics, but particularly biographies and social history. He was particularly influenced by the ideas of German land nationalisation advocate Michael Flürscheim, but also closely read
Henry George Henry George (September 2, 1839 – October 29, 1897) was an American political economist and journalist. His writing was immensely popular in 19th-century America and sparked several reform movements of the Progressive Era. He inspired the eco ...
and
Karl Marx Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...
. After one year working in a market garden he then became an apprentice
french polish French polishing is a wood finishing technique that results in a very high gloss surface, with a deep colour and chatoyancy. French polishing consists of applying many thin coats of shellac dissolved in denatured alcohol using a rubbing pad lubri ...
er. Sullivan joined the trade union movement following the influence of a foreman who was active in the Christchurch United Furniture Trades Union (CUFTU). Aged 16 he became secretary of the committee organising the union's annual picnic (his first elected office) and briefly was a delegate of the union to the Canterbury Trades and Labour Council. He travelled to
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in 1900 after completing his apprenticeship. His trip was made under the guise of improving his techniques as a polisher, but he also visited places he had read about and wished to learn more about trade unions. Along the way Sullivan sold furniture that he had hand made himself door to door across Australia to help fund his trip to Britain. Upon arriving in Britain he was shocked by the levels of poverty he witnessed (at one stage himself reduced to sleeping outside on the
Thames Embankment The Thames Embankment is a work of 19th-century civil engineering that reclaimed marshy land next to the River Thames in central London. It consists of the Victoria Embankment and Chelsea Embankment. History There had been a long history of f ...
). Sullivan would later maintain that a determination to prevent the kind of poverty he had witnessed abroad strongly influenced his political career as was an aim to emulate the dedication of British trade unionists that he had met. In addition to Britain he visited
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
, working for a time in the
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shipyards, and
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as well before returning to Christchurch after four years. He resumed his union activities upon his return and was to hold many positions in the union movement over the succeeding years. He became both the president and secretary of the CUFTU, French Polishers' Union and New Zealand Federated Furniture Trade Union. He was first vice president, from 1908 to 1910, and president, in 1911, of the Canterbury Trades and Labour Council. He was a member of the Dominion executive of the Trades and Labour Councils' Federation and in 1914, he was elected president of the United Federation of Labour. Through his experiences he became consummate at arguing cases under the industrial conciliation and arbitration system. In 1912 he began writing for the ''
Lyttelton Times The ''Lyttelton Times'' was the first newspaper in Canterbury, New Zealand, publishing the first edition in January 1851. It was established by the Canterbury Association as part of its planned settlement of Canterbury and developed into a libera ...
'' on matters of labour issues. He expanded his newspaper contributions and became a journalist between 1915 and 1920 with the '' Christchurch Sun'' and published "Dan Sullivan's Magazine" in 1919. He contributed to the founding of the Christchurch Journalists' Union. He also became a regular speaker on weekends in Cathedral Square, giving him a higher profile and cementing his position as a moderate in the labour movement, both in his approach and positions. He favoured the industrial arbitration system over strike action and advocated for state ownership as a means to improve business and living conditions.


Political career

During the election campaign, Sullivan heard a speech by
Jim Thorn James Thorn (1 June 1882 – 21 November 1956) was a New Zealand politician and trade unionist. He was an organiser and candidate for the Independent Political Labour League, Social Democratic Party then the Labour Party. Biography Early l ...
inspiring to join the
Independent Political Labour League The Independent Political Labour League (IPLL) was a small New Zealand political party. It was the second organised political party to win a seat in the New Zealand House of Representatives, House of Representatives, and was a forerunner of the m ...
(IPLL). By the next election in , he was the president of the IPLL and stood as their candidate for the Avon seat. He came fourth out of five candidates in the first ballot. The 1908 election was won by
George Warren Russell George Warren Russell (24 February 1854 – 28 June 1937) was a New Zealand politician from Christchurch. He served as Minister of Internal Affairs and Minister of Public Health in the wartime National government, and was responsible for the N ...
, who would later become a cabinet minister, and was in 1912 considered a possible successor of
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 ...
as leader 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. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...
. Sullivan joined the
New Zealand Labour Party The New Zealand Labour Party ( mi, Rōpū Reipa o Aotearoa), or simply Labour (), is a centre-left political party in New Zealand. The party's platform programme describes its founding principle as democratic socialism, while observers descr ...
, which superseded the IPLL in 1910, and stood as its candidate for the
Riccarton Riccarton may refer to: New Zealand * Riccarton, New Zealand, a suburb of Christchurch ** Riccarton (New Zealand electorate), the electorate named after it ** The location of Riccarton Race Course * a locality on the Taieri Plains in Otago Scotlan ...
electorate in . A year later, Sullivan was appointed secretary of the first of the Labour Unity Conferences that would form the moderate United Labour Party (ULP). He was later part of the faction of the ULP that joined the
Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...
(SDP) after the second of the unity conferences. He then served as a member of the Christchurch strike committee during the Great Strike of 1913. In , he contested Avon again as the SDP candidate but was again unsuccessful. During
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 ...
he opposed conscription though he served on the executive of the Christchurch Patriotic Committee and on the local Citizens' Defence Corps. He was a member of the
Christchurch City Council The Christchurch City Council is the local government authority for Christchurch in New Zealand. It is a territorial authority elected to represent the people of Christchurch. Since October 2022, the Mayor of Christchurch is Phil Mauger, who ...
between 1915 and 1923, when he unsuccessfully stood for the mayoralty. He was a member again from 1925 to 1931 and during the 1927–29 term was
deputy mayor The deputy mayor (also known as vice mayor, assistant mayor, or mayor ''pro tem'') is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official that is present in many, but not all, local governments. Duties and functions Many elected dep ...
. A popular candidate, he topped the poll in four elections. He was chair of the council's housing committee, where he formulated a scheme to allocate funds from the council to be lent to prospective homeowners’ mortgages. From 1927 to 1930, he chaired the finance committee. In 1931, he was elected
Mayor of Christchurch The Mayor of Christchurch is the head of the municipal government of Christchurch, New Zealand, and presides over the Christchurch City Council. The mayor is directly elected using a First Past the Post electoral system. The current mayor, Ph ...
on his second attempt. As mayor, Sullivan dedicated his time to alleviating poverty in Christchurch during the depression as well as maintaining order. Nevertheless, violent unrest occurred, which peaked during the 1932 Christchurch tramway strike, which Sullivan struggled to resolve. He networked widely in order to raise money for a relief fund to ease peoples' distress. He interviewed thousands of constituents and would frequently help them on a personal level. When Labour won the 1935 general election and Sullivan took on the heavy workload of a cabinet minister, he reluctantly resigned from the mayoralty in February 1936. He was succeeded as mayor by
John Beanland John Walton Beanland (3 November 1866 – 7 December 1943) was a building contractor and Mayor of Christchurch from 1936 to 1938. Early life Beanland was born in Durham Lead near Ballarat, Victoria in 1866. His parents were John Griffith Beanla ...
of the Citizens' Association.


Member of Parliament

In the , Russell suffered a crushing defeat by Sullivan. As
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. ...
, Russell was held responsible by large parts of the population for New Zealand's unpreparedness for the
1918 flu epidemic The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...
. Compared to the 1914 election, Sullivan's share of the vote increased by more than 27 percentage points. He represented the Avon electorate in the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
for 28 years from to 1947. From 1921 to 1935, he was Labour's senior whip. During the 1920s, Sullivan and
James McCombs James (Jimmy) McCombs (9 December 1873 – 2 August 1933) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for Lyttelton. Biography Early life and career McCombs was born in Treanmore, Mohill, County Leitrim, Ireland, the elder child of George McCombs, ...
led the opposition to
Harry Holland Henry Edmund Holland (10 June 1868 – 8 October 1933) was an Australian-born newspaper owner, politician and unionist who relocated to New Zealand. He was the second leader of the New Zealand Labour Party. Early life Holland was born at G ...
within the Parliamentary Labour Party caucus. In 1923, he unsuccessfully challenged Holland for the leadership himself, and stood for the deputy leadership subsequently as well, but lost to
Michael Joseph Savage Michael Joseph Savage (23 March 1872 – 27 March 1940) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of New Zealand, heading the First Labour Government from 1935 until his death in 1940. Savage was born in the Colon ...
11 votes to 16. In 1935, Sullivan was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal. Sullivan was a leading Cabinet Minister in the First Labour Government of New Zealand. He was appointed by Prime Minister
Michael Joseph Savage Michael Joseph Savage (23 March 1872 – 27 March 1940) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 23rd prime minister of New Zealand, heading the First Labour Government from 1935 until his death in 1940. Savage was born in the Colon ...
as the
Minister of Industries and Commerce The Minister of Industries and Commerce in New Zealand is a former cabinet position (existing from 1894 to 1972) appointed by the Prime Minister to be in charge of matters of industrial and commercial growth and trade. In 1972 it was replaced w ...
between 1935 and 1947,
Minister of Railways A Ministry of Railways is a Cabinet department that exists or has existed in many Commonwealth states as well as others. It generally occurs in countries where railroad transportation is a particularly important part of the national infrastructur ...
from 1935 to 1941 and was later the high-profile wartime Minister of Supply and Munitions. Sullivan had always been a vocal advocate for expanding manufacturing in New Zealand and his role as Minister of Industries and Commerce allowed him to put his ideas into practice. He encouraged the development of new industries but was often frustrated by limited progress. He also oversaw exchange controls particularly due to wartime shortages, but this opened new opportunities to develop a broader range of manufacturing industry in New Zealand, which Sullivan enthusiastically took advantage of. He was ranked fourth in the cabinet until Savage's death in 1940. With the leadership vacant, Sullivan gave serious consideration to standing to succeed Savage as leader, but eventually decided to support the deputy leader
Peter Fraser Peter Fraser (; 28 August 1884 – 12 December 1950) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 24th prime minister of New Zealand from 27 March 1940 until 13 December 1949. Considered a major figure in the history of the New Zealand La ...
. Afterwards he was ranked third in the cabinet. As a result of his ranking, he was Acting
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
from April to July 1944 while Fraser and
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, havin ...
were overseas. He carried a "punishing workload" during the war, which almost certainly contributed to his health declining from the mid-1940s.


Death and commemoration

Sullivan died in
Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...
of coronary disease on 8 April 1947. His body was taken to Christchurch and lay in state in the Civic Theatre visited by crowds of thousands, and a large crowd attended his funeral. Sullivan Avenue in the Christchurch suburb of
Woolston Woolston may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Woolston, Cheshire, a village and civil parish in Warrington * Woolston, Devon, on the list of United Kingdom locations: Woof-Wy near Kingsbridge, Devon * Woolston, Southampton, a city suburb in Ham ...
was named in Sullivan's honour in 1929. Sullivan Park in Avonside was named for him in 1948.


Personal life

He married Daisy Ethel Webster on 23 November 1905. Despite Sullivan being a staunch
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
, the pair were married in Merivale at the
Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...
Church of St Mary. His wife, son and daughter survived him. He was described as a "clever attractive and ambitious man".


Notes


References

* * (page 298 of biographical appendix) * *


External links


The Hon. D. G. Sullivan, a 1936 biographical article from the ''New Zealand Railways Magazine''
on Mr Sullivan and others in Parliament in 1925] , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Sullivan, Daniel 1882 births 1947 deaths Burials at Ruru Lawn Cemetery Christchurch City Councillors Deputy mayors of Christchurch Mayors of Christchurch Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand Labour Party MPs New Zealand MPs for Christchurch electorates New Zealand people of Irish descent New Zealand people of Scottish descent New Zealand temperance activists New Zealand trade unionists Independent Political Labour League politicians United Labour Party (New Zealand) politicians Social Democratic Party (New Zealand) politicians Unsuccessful candidates in the 1914 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1911 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1908 New Zealand general election