Thomas Bloodworth (10 February 1882 – 11 May 1974) was a New Zealand politician. He was a Member of the Legislative Council and its last Chairman of Committees.

Political career

Born in Maxey, Northamptonshire in 1882, Bloodworth was a member of the British

Independent Labour Party The Independent Labour Party (ILP) was a British political party of the left, established in 1893 at a conference in Bradford, after local and national dissatisfaction with the Liberals' apparent reluctance to endorse working-class candidates ...

and came to New Zealand in 1907. He joined the

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

Socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the ...

Party in 1910 and was Secretary of the Auckland Carpenters' Union (1914–1936). Bloodworth helped found the Auckland WEA (

Workers' Educational Association The Workers' Educational Association (WEA), founded in 1903, is the UK's largest voluntary sector provider of adult education and one of Britain's biggest charities. The WEA is a democratic and voluntary adult education movement. It delivers lea ...

) and was Auckland Vice-President of the Land Values League. He stood as the NZLP candidate for Parnell in

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (now Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off the ...

and again at the 1930 by-election. Bloodworth was an Auckland City Councillor for a total of 33 years: 1919–1927 and 1928–1931 (Labour); 1931–1938 (

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

); and 1953–1968 (Citizens and Ratepayers). He was also a member of the Auckland Electric Power Board and Chairman of the

Auckland Harbour Board The Auckland Harbour Board was a public body that operated the ports of both Auckland and Onehunga from 1871 to 1988 and was dissolved in 1989. Its successor organisation is Ports of Auckland, which assumed the possessions and responsibilities of ...

. Bloodworth broke with the New Zealand Labour Party in the 1930s. He was a member of the

New Zealand Legislative Council The New Zealand Legislative Council was the upper house of the General Assembly of New Zealand between 1853 and 1951. An earlier arrangement of legislative councils for the colony and provinces existed from 1841 when New Zealand became a col ...

for three terms over 16 years from 22 June 1934 to its abolition in 1950. He was the Council's last Chairman of Committees between 5 July and 31 December 1950. In 1935, Bloodworth was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal, and in 1953 he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for services to local government, in the 1966 Queen's Birthday Honours. Bloodworth retired from civic life in 1968, at the age of 86. He died on 11 May 1974 in

Remuera Remuera is an affluent inner city suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. It is located four kilometres southeast of the city centre. Remuera is characterised by many large houses, often Edwardian or mid 20th century. A prime example of a "leafy" sub ...

at the age of 92.

Notes

References

*''Labour's Path to Political Independence: the Origins and Establishment of the NZLP 1900–19'' p154 by

Barry Gustafson Barry Selwyn Gustafson (born 1938) is a New Zealand political scientist and historian, and a leading political biographer. He served for nearly four decades as professor of political studies at the University of Auckland, and as Acting Directo ...

(1980, Oxford University Press, Auckland) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bloodworth, Tom Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council Local politicians in New Zealand New Zealand trade unionists English emigrants to New Zealand 1882 births 1974 deaths New Zealand Labour Party politicians New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire Unsuccessful candidates in the 1919 New Zealand general election Auckland City Councillors People from Northamptonshire (before 1974) Auckland Harbour Board members