Robert Coulter (1891 – 31 December 1945) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Biography

Robert Coulter was reported to have been born in 1891 in Christchurch and went to Woodend Public School. However, a Robert Coulter gained a prize in Standard 2 at Woodend District School in 1894. Children at that time had to attend school from age 7 to 13. Possibly he showed early talent and/or was born before 1891. He had a brother, J J Coulter and a sister, who lived in Wellington, or Timaru. He never married. After primary education he worked in farming, lived about two years in Wellington and moved to Auckland. In 1904 Robert Coulter settled in

Te Aroha Te Aroha ( mi, Te Aroha-a-uta) is a rural town in the Waikato region of New Zealand with a population of 3,906 people in the 2013 census, an increase of 138 people since 2006. It is northeast of Hamilton and south of Thames. It sits at the f ...

, to be a grocer and auctioneer, and was a member of Te Aroha Borough Council from May 1916. In 1915 he defended not being a volunteer for the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

, but in 1917 he was conscripted into the forces, though he was given exemptions twice. He went to camp in May 1917 with the 29th Reinforcement. They reached France in October 1917, but it seems Robert was back by March 1918 and, in October 1918, he was re-elected to the council, becoming Mayor in April 1921. He was also president of Te Aroha Chamber of Commerce and Te Aroha Aero Club and associated for a number of years with the Northern Athletic Union, Thames Harbour Board and Te Aroha Fire Board. He stood for

Tauranga Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...

in 1932, won Waikato in 1935, but, with rearrangement of boundaries, was defeated in

Hauraki Hauraki is a suburb located on the southern North Shore of Auckland, the largest metropolitan city in New Zealand. It is under the local governance of the Auckland Council. History The traditional name for the western coastline in Hauraki wa ...

in 1938 by Lieutenant- Colonel J. M. Allen. during which time represented the

Waikato Waikato () is a Regions of New Zealand, local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton, New Zealand, Hamilton City ...

electorate from

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

, when he was defeated by

National National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

Stan Goosman Stan or STAN may refer to: People * Stan (given name), a list of people with the given name ** Stan Laurel (1890–1965), English comic actor, part of duo Laurel and Hardy * Stan (surname), a Romanian surname * Stan! (born 1964), American author, ...

. In 1941 he was defeated as Te Aroha Mayor by L. W. Mackie. He then moved his headquarters to Hamilton, as he was selected to stand in Raglan, in succession to Lee Martin, who was retiring due to ill health. The 1941 election was cancelled, so it was not until

1943 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 1 – WWII: The Soviet Union announces that 22 German divisions have been encircled at Stalingrad, with 175,000 killed and 137,650 captured. * January 4 – ...

that he was elected for Raglan. He was MP for that electorate on 31 December 1945, when he died in Timaru, after a long illness. His funeral was in Wellington. He was succeeded by

Hallyburton Johnstone Hallyburton Johnstone (23 August 1897 – 10 August 1970) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. Biography Johnstone was born in Raglan in 1897, the son of Campbell Johnstone. He was educated at Te Uku, Whata Whata, and ...

1946 Events January * January 6 - The 1946 North Vietnamese parliamentary election, first general election ever in Vietnam is held. * January 7 – The Allies recognize the Austrian republic with its 1937 borders, and divide the country into f ...

. Robert Coulter was elected twice in rural electorates that usually returned

Reform Reform ( lat, reformo) means the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The use of the word in this way emerges in the late 18th century and is believed to originate from Christopher Wyvill#The Yorkshire Associati ...

MPs. Coulter Bridge, which carries SH26 over the

Waihou River The Waihou River is located in the northern North Island of New Zealand. Its former name, Thames River, was bestowed by Captain James Cook in November 1769, when he explored of the river from the mouth. An older Māori name was "Wai Kahou Roun ...

, in Te Aroha, was built in 1928 and named after Robert Coulter.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coulter, Robert 1891 births 1945 deaths New Zealand Labour Party MPs New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Unsuccessful candidates in the 1938 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1925 New Zealand general election Candidates in the 1941 New Zealand general election People from Christchurch