Vincent Aubrey Ward (4 January 1886 – 9 February 1946) was a New Zealand businessman, Member of Parliament and a Member of the Legislative Council.

Biography

Early life

Born in

Bluff Bluff or The Bluff may refer to: Places Australia * Bluff, Queensland, Australia, a town * The Bluff, Queensland (Ipswich), a rural locality in the city of Ipswich * The Bluff, Queensland (Toowoomba Region), a rural locality * Bluff River (New ...

in 1886 and was educated at the Bluff State Primary School and St. Patrick's College in Wellington. He was the second born son of future

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Sir

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 ...

. He found employment with the

National Bank of New Zealand The National Bank of New Zealand Limited (NBNZ), often referred to as The National Bank, was one of New Zealand's largest banks. Throughout much of its history, the National Bank provided commercial banking services to mainly major industrial and ...

at Wellington before leaving for England in 1907 where he worked first with the merchant firm Messrs.' James Morrison and Son and then at the insurance branch of

Lloyds Bank Lloyds Bank plc is a British retail banking, retail and commercial bank with branches across England and Wales. It has traditionally been considered one of the "Big Four (banking), Big Four" clearing house (finance), clearing banks. Lloyds B ...

. In 1908 he travelled to New York, spending a period with the

U.S. Steel United States Steel Corporation, more commonly known as U.S. Steel, is an American integrated steel producer headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with production operations primarily in the United States of America and in severa ...

corporation. Ward then left for

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

in 1911 where he became joint manager of the

New Zealand Shipping Company The New Zealand Shipping Company (NZSC) was a shipping company whose ships ran passenger and cargo services between Great Britain and New Zealand between 1873 and 1973. A group of Christchurch businessmen founded the company in 1873, similar ...

. During

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 ...

he served in the Motor Boat Patrol, gaining his commission in 1915 while Canada. After the war he went to New York for the British Ministry of Shipping before returning to New Zealand in 1920. Upon his arrival in New Zealand he moved to Christchurch and joined his father's firm, Messrs.' J. G. Ward and Co. He married Sybil Mary Petre in 1927. She was the daughter of

Henry William Petre Henry William Petre (1820 – 3 December 1889) was colonial treasurer of New Munster Province. He was a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council from 31 December 1853 to 6 November 1860, when he was disqualified for absence. He was one of t ...

and the sister of

Francis Petre Francis William Petre (27 August 1847 – 10 December 1918), sometimes known as Frank Petre, was a New Zealand-born architect based in Dunedin. He was an able exponent of the Gothic revival style, one of its best practitioners in New Zea ...

Political career

He first became involved in politics in 1922 he became his father's private secretary prior to the unsuccessful Tauranga by-election, before moving to Wellington after Sir Joseph re-entered Parliament in

1925 Events January * January 1 ** The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini makes a pivotal speech in the Italia ...

. He remained as private secretary for the duration of Sir Joseph's second period as Prime Minister. He replaced his father in the 13 August for the parliamentary seat of

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

that was held after Sir Joseph died. He stood for the United Party, retaining the seat for the government. He retired from Parliament at the next general election in 1931. He was subsequently appointed to the Legislative Council on 22 June 1934 by Sir Joseph's successor as Prime Minister, George Forbes. At the expiry of his first term, he was reappointed on 23 June 1941 by

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 Lab ...

. He served until his death on 9 February 1946. In 1935, he was awarded the

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir by King George V to commemorate his Silver J ...

. In

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 ...

he unsuccessfully stood for 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 Citizens' Association ticket.

Later life and death

In later life he was director of several companies and also became secretary of the Wellington Metropolitan Patriotic Council in September 1940. He was appointed a

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in the 1946 New Year Honours. Ward 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 me ...

on 9 February 1946, aged 60.

Notes

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ward, Vincent Aubrey 1886 births 1946 deaths People educated at St. Patrick's College, Wellington Canadian military personnel of World War I New Zealand Liberal Party MPs Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council New Zealand Liberal Party MLCs People from Bluff, New Zealand New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Younger sons of baronets Children of prime ministers of New Zealand