Thomas Edward Youd Seddon (2 July 1884 – 22 January 1972) was a New Zealand politician 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 ...

, and a lawyer in

Greymouth Greymouth () (Māori: ''Māwhera'') is the largest town in the West Coast region in the South Island of New Zealand, and the seat of the Grey District Council. The population of the whole Grey District is , which accounts for % of the West Coas ...

. He was the son of New Zealand's longest-serving Prime Minister

Richard Seddon Richard John Seddon (22 June 1845 – 10 June 1906) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 15th premier (prime minister) of New Zealand from 1893 until his death. In office for thirteen years, he is to date New Zealand's longest-se ...

, and succeeded his father as MP for

Westland Westland or Westlands may refer to: Places *Westlands, an affluent neighbourhood in the city of Nairobi, Kenya * Westlands, Staffordshire, a suburban area and ward in Newcastle-under-Lyme *Westland, a peninsula of the Shetland Mainland near Vaila ...

following his death in 1906.

Early life

Seddon was born in Kumara in 1884. His parents were Richard and Louisa Jane Seddon (née Spotswood). He was educated at Kumara School, the Terrace School (Wellington),

Wellington College Wellington College may refer to: *Wellington College, Berkshire, an independent school in Crowthorne, Berkshire, England ** Wellington College International Shanghai ** Wellington College International Tianjin * Wellington College, Wellington, Ne ...

, and Victoria University College. He graduated in law, and joined the practice of John Findlay and Frederick George Dalziell, and then became a barrister and solicitor in

. He served in the New Zealand Army in

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 ...

from 1915 to 1919. Because he received a leg injury in a rugby game "behind the trenches" he was not gassed like the rest of his unit. Later he was chairman of the War Pensions Board, from 1930 to 1963, and in World War II he was Captain of the Wadestown Home Guard. He married Beatrice Ann Wood on 15 March 1922 at St Mary's Church in the

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon Rive ...

suburb of Merivale. Guests at the wedding included Robert Loughnan, Joseph Grimmond,

George Fowlds Sir George Matthew Fowlds (15 September 1860 – 17 August 1934) was a New Zealand politician of the Liberal Party. Biography Early life and career Fowlds was born in Fenwick, East Ayrshire, Scotland. His father, Matthew Fowlds, was a handl ...

, and

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 ...

Political career

He inherited the Westland electorate on the sudden death of his father

in the by-election after he had just turned 22. He held the electorate to 1922, when he was defeated by James O'Brien of the Labour Party. He won it back in , but lost it again in 1928 when he was again defeated by O'Brien. He was chairman of the War Pensions Board from 1930 to 1963, having served in the New Zealand Army in

, In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal. His son, Dick Seddon, was for several decades electorate secretary and organiser for the New Zealand National Party.

Bibliography

His autobiography was published in 1968: *

Notes and references

Citations

References

* *''Who’s Who in New Zealand'' (1968, 9th edition)

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Seddon, Thomas 1884 births 1972 deaths People educated at Wellington College (New Zealand) Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand 20th-century New Zealand lawyers New Zealand Liberal Party MPs New Zealand military personnel of World War I Victoria University of Wellington alumni Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates Unsuccessful candidates in the 1922 New Zealand general election Unsuccessful candidates in the 1928 New Zealand general election People from Kumara, New Zealand Children of prime ministers of New Zealand Tom