Sir Walter James Broadfoot (6 April 1881 – 10 September 1965) was a New Zealand politician of the United Party, and from 1936, the National Party. He was a cabinet minister from 1949 to 1954 in the

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Biography

Early life

Broadfoot was born in 1881 at

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. He received his education at Wellesley Street Public School and

Kihikihi Kihikihi, a small town located in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand, serves as a satellite community of Te Awamutu, five kilometres to the north, and lies 35 kilometres south of Hamilton. The 2018 New Zealand census recorded ...

School. His first employment was with the

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Post Office as a messenger, and this was followed by work as a journalist for the ''New Zealand Observer''. At night, he studied towards a law degree, which led to employment as a clerk in

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in 1907, followed by setting up his own practice in rural

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 ...

's Te Kuiti in the following year. He specialised in native affairs and land problems. He married Dorothy Caroline Metcalfe (1884-1945), daughter of Henry Hulbert Metcalfe at St. Mary's Cathedral, Parnell, on 20 December 1910. They had two daughters, Beverley and Merron.

Political career

From 1923 to 1935, he was first deputy mayor and then mayor of Te Kuiti. He was first elected to

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in the as a member of the United Party, when he defeated

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's John Rolleston in the electorate. On 23 April 1936, he became junior party

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during the United/Reform Coalition, just prior to the formation of the National Party resulting from the merger of the Reform and United Parties in mid-May. He became senior whip in 1941, and held that position until 1949, when he became Postmaster-General. In 1942, he was Minister of National Service in the short-lived War Administration. In the

, he was Postmaster-General and Minister of Telegraphs (1949–1954). He retired from Parliament in 1954. In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal. In 1953, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal. In 1955, Broadfoot was granted the use of the title of "Honourable" for life, having served more than three years as a member of the Executive Council. He was appointed a

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in the 1955 Queen's Birthday Honours, and died in 1965.

Notes

References

* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Broadfoot, Walter 1881 births 1965 deaths New Zealand National Party MPs Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand New Zealand Liberal Party MPs People from Te Kuiti Mayors of places in Waikato Deputy mayors of places in New Zealand New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates Unsuccessful candidates in the 1925 New Zealand general election