James Alder Bateman (5 April 1925 – 20 October 1987) was a New Zealand politician and educationalist.

Biography

Early life and career

In 1949, Bateman graduated from

Victoria University College Victoria University of Wellington ( mi, Te Herenga Waka) is a university in Wellington, New Zealand. It was established in 1897 by Act of Parliament, and was a constituent college of the University of New Zealand. The university is well know ...

with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Th ...

in philosophy and

Diploma of Education The Diploma of Education, often abbreviated to DipEd or GradDipEd, is a postgraduate qualification offered in many Commonwealth countries including Australia, Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Overview The diploma can build on the g ...

. After graduating he began a career in teaching and taught at Wellington High School, later becoming first assistant Principal. Bateman was to later serve as founding Principal of the Central Institute of Technology from 1968 to 1985. He was elected president of the Technical Institutes Association in October 1974. Bateman joined the Labour Party in 1940. His father had been personal secretary to prominent Labour politicians

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 ...

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 ...

Political career

Bateman stood for the electorate in the New Zealand House of Representatives in the and general elections for the Labour Party. He was unsuccessful placing second on both occasions. Bateman later contested the Labour Party nomination for the seat in 1960 which resulted in a deadlock in the selection committee between himself and union organiser Ron Bailey. As a result of the deadlock the matter was referred to the party national executive. Ultimately, Bateman was unsuccessful. He was a long-serving member of the Labour Party, deeply involved at its organisational level. He sat for many years on Labour's National Executive, and twice served as the party's Vice-President. Bateman proved to be an effective administrator particularly as he was free from the maelstrom of party politics which other party office holders (who were mostly MPs) were subject to. Bateman stood for President in 1964 on the retirement of

Martyn Finlay Allan "Martyn" Finlay (1 January 1912 – 20 January 1999) was a New Zealand lawyer and politician of the Labour Party. He was an MP in two separate spells and a member of two different governments, including being a minister in the latter w ...

but was beaten by

Norman Kirk Norman Eric Kirk (6 January 1923 – 31 August 1974) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 29th prime minister of New Zealand from 1972 until his sudden death in 1974. Born into poverty in Southern Canterbury, Kirk left school at a ...

by 401 votes to 106. In

1953 Events January * January 6 – The Asian Socialist Conference opens in Rangoon, Burma. * January 12 – Estonian émigrés found a government-in-exile in Oslo. * January 14 ** Marshal Josip Broz Tito is chosen President of Yug ...

Bateman won a seat on the

Wellington City Council Wellington City Council is a 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, the Upper Hutt, Porirua, Lower Hutt and ...

on a Labour ticket, aged only 28 he was the youngest councillor elected for decades. He held a seat for three terms until 1962 when he decided not to seek re-election. On the council he chaired the staff committee. Upon his retirement from the council, Bateman cited the increasing amount of time required to participate in council and balancing that with his career and family as the reason for his early withdrawal (aged only 37). Bateman later became a member of the

Wellington Harbour Board (Strong but true) , predecessor = , merged = , successor = , formation = , founder = , founding_location = , dissolved = , merger = , type ...

, which met less frequently. He was elected in 1965 and served three years on the board until 1968.

Later life and death

In the

1986 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1986 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countrie ...

, Bateman was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, in recognition of his service as principal of Central Institute of Technology. Bateman 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 metr ...

of cancer on 20 October 1987, aged 62 years, and his ashes were buried at

Karori Cemetery Karori Cemetery is New Zealand's second largest cemetery, located in the Wellington suburb of Karori. History Karori Cemetery opened in 1891 to address overcrowding at Bolton Street Cemetery. In 1909, it received New Zealand's first crema ...

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bateman, James Alder 1925 births 1987 deaths Victoria University of Wellington alumni New Zealand educators Wellington City Councillors Wellington Harbour Board members New Zealand Labour Party politicians Unsuccessful candidates in the 1951 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1954 New Zealand general election Burials at Karori Cemetery New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire