Francis Marion Bates Fisher (22 December 1877 – 24 July 1960) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament from
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 ...
. He was known as Rainbow Fisher for his frequent changes of political allegiance. He was a veteran of the Boer War and an internationally successful
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
player becoming the champion, along with his mixed doubles partner,
Irene Peacock, of the
World Covered Court Championships
The World Covered Court Championships were part of a series of three major world championships sanctioned from 1913 to 1923 by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF). The tournament was played indoors on wood floors, and its venue changed ...
in 1920.
Early life and family
Fisher was the son of
George Fisher, a member of parliament and
Mayor of Wellington.
David Fisher was his uncle. Frank Fisher was a captain in the 10th
New Zealand Contingent
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
to the South African
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...
in 1902. His eldest daughter,
Esther Fisher (1900–1999), became an international pianist.
Member of Parliament
Fisher represented two
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 ...
electorates in the
New Zealand House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is the sole chamber of the New Zealand Parliament. The House passes Law of New Zealand, laws, provides Ministers of the New Zealand Government, ministers to form Cabinet of New Zealand, Cabinet, and supervises the ...
for nine years from a
1905 by-election to the
1914 general election. Initially from 6 April 1905 he represented the multi-member
City of Wellington
Wellington City Council is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the country's capital city Wellington, and ''de facto'' second-largest city (if the commonly considered parts of Wellington, ...
electorate, but from the
1905 general election, he represented .
His initial intention in early 1905 was to stand in a Christchurch electorate at the 1905 general election. In mid February 1905, he held his first meeting with electors in Christchurch. This changed, however, when his father died in mid March, and a request was put to him to stand in the
City of Wellington electorate to fill the vacancy. In his speeches to Wellington electors, he stressed the need for the
Liberal Party, of which he was a member, to reform itself from within. The by-election was contested by Fisher,
Charles Hayward Izard
Charles Hayward Izard (19 January 1862 – 18 September 1925) was a Liberal Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand, and a Wellington lawyer.
Biography
Early life
Izard was born in Wellington on 19 January 1862, the eldest son of Charles Be ...
and
John Hutcheson
John Hutcheson (1853–1940) was a Member of Parliament in New Zealand, for the Liberal Party.
Biography
Early life
A native of Dumbarton, Scotland, where he was born in 1855, he was educated at the Dumbarton Academy, where he gained a Sou ...
, with Fisher being successful.
After his election, he helped form the
New Liberal Party. The party was formed at a meeting in the Christchurch suburb of Papanui in June 1905. The New Liberals suffered considerable damage from the so-called "voucher incident", in which Fisher alleged that
Richard Seddon's son had been received payment from a government department for work he had not done. The allegations were disproven, and the
New Liberals suffered considerable public backlash. Fisher had not consulted his colleagues before making the accusation, and it also strained relations between party members. Fisher was the only
New Liberal MP (out of three) re-elected in
1905
As the second year of the massive Russo-Japanese War begins, more than 100,000 die in the largest world battles of that era, and the war chaos leads to the 1905 Russian Revolution against Nicholas II of Russia (Shostakovich's 11th Symphony i ...
. The New Liberal Party was defunct by 1908.
In the
1908 general election he stood as an
Independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
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* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
. By 1910, he had joined the
Reform Party. The
1911 general election required a second ballot if no candidate could achieve an absolute majority in the first round. The election was contested by Fisher,
Robert Fletcher (Liberal Party), W. S. Young (
Labour Party) and F. Freeman (
Socialist Party
Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...
), with Fisher having a majority of one vote over Fletcher.
In the second ballot a week later, Fisher beat Fletcher with a majority of 150 votes.
By the next
general election in 1914, the incumbent Fisher as a government minister contested Wellington Central against Fletcher again, and he was decisively beaten by 2677 votes to 4910. This spelled an end to Fisher's political career in New Zealand. After the war, in 1919, he stood as the Conservative candidate in the
Widnes
Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2011 United Kingdom census, 2011 census had a population of 61,464.
Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, it is on t ...
by-election in Cheshire, England, where he was defeated by Labour's
Arthur Henderson
Arthur Henderson (13 September 1863 – 20 October 1935) was a British iron moulder and Labour politician. He was the first Labour cabinet minister, won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1934 and, uniquely, served three separate terms as Leader of th ...
.
He was known as ''Rainbow'' Fisher because of his ''frequent changes of political colour''. Fisher was
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 Marine from 10 July 1912 to 7 January 1915 in the
Reform Government.
Tennis
A top New Zealand tennis player, both at home and abroad, Fisher reached the final of the
Australasian Open in 1906 but was defeated by
Anthony Wilding
Anthony Frederick Wilding (31 October 1883 – 9 May 1915), also known as Tony Wilding, was a New Zealand world No. 1 tennis player and soldier who was killed in action during World War I. Considered the world's first tennis superstar, Wildin ...
. He won the New Zealand Men's Championship Doubles in 1901–02, 1902–03, 1909–10 and 1910–11, and the Mixed Doubles Championships in 1899–1900, 1900–01, 1901–02 and 1911–12. He reached the semi-finals in doubles with partner
Stanley Doust
Stanley Norwood Doust (29 March 1878 – 13 December 1961) was an Australian-born tennis player who captained his nation's Davis Cup team and was winner of the Mixed Doubles Trophy at Wimbledon.The Times Obituaries Mr. Stanley N. Doust: Issue ...
at the
1912 Australasian Championships
The 1912 Australasian Championships was a tennis tournament that took place on outdoor grass courts at Hastings, New Zealand from 30 December 1912 until 1 January 1913. It was the 8th edition of the Australian Championships (now known as the Aus ...
. In doubles he partnered with
Major Ritchie
Major Josiah George Ritchie (18 October 1870 – 28 February 1955) was a tennis player from Great Britain. Major was his first name, not a military title. He was born in Westminster, educated at Brighton College and died in Ashford.
Career
Ritc ...
to reach the semi-finals at Wimbeldon in 1919 and with
Alfred Beamish
Alfred Ernest Beamish (6 August 1879 – 28 February 1944) was an English tennis player born in Richmond, Surrey, England. He finished runner-up to James Cecil Parke in the Men's Singles final of the Australasian Championships, the future Austr ...
for runner-up at the
1920 World Covered Court Championships CCC
CCC may refer to:
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* Canada's Capital Cappies, the Critics and Awards Program in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
* ''Capcom Classics Collection'', a 2005 compilation of arcade games for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox
* CCC, the pro ...
In mixed doubles he partnered
Irene Peacock to the Championship of the 1920 WCCC and to the quarter-finals of Wimbeldon in 1921.
Death
Fisher died on 24 July 1960 and was buried at Kauae Cemetery in
Ngongotahā.
Rotorua District Council cemetery search
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Further reading
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References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fisher, Frank
1877 births
1960 deaths
Independent MPs of New Zealand
Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand
New Zealand Liberal Party MPs
New Zealand male tennis players
New Zealand military personnel of the Second Boer War
Reform Party (New Zealand) MPs
New Liberal Party (New Zealand) MPs
New Zealand MPs for Wellington electorates
Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1914 New Zealand general election
Wellington City Councillors
Burials at Kauae Cemetery