Sir Walter Charles Frederick Carncross (23 April 1855 – 30 June 1940) 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
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.
Biography
Early life
Carncross was born in
Bendigo
Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital.
As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...
, Victoria, in 1855 (or 1853). He came to
Dunedin
Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...
with his parents when he was seven years old. Carncross married Mary, a daughter of R. Johnston in 1883.
He was to become a newspaper proprietor by trade, owning both the ''Taieri Advocate'' & ''Eltham Argus''.
Political career
He represented the electorate from to 1902, when he retired.
He was in favour of perpetual leasing of land and opposed the sale of the railways. He was opposed to
women's suffrage
Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...
and in 1891 deliberately moved an amendment that was intended to make the bill fail in the
Legislative Council. His amendment was for women to become eligible to be voted into the
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
. This infuriated the suffragette
Catherine Fulton, who organised a protest at the .
He served as the Liberal Party's
Senior Whip in 1902, his last year in the lower house
He was appointed to the Legislative Council on 18 March 1903 by the
Liberal Government Liberal government may refer to:
Australia
In Australian politics, a Liberal government may refer to the following governments administered by the Liberal Party of Australia:
* Menzies Government (1949–66), several Australian ministries under S ...
, and at the expiry of his seven-year terms, he was reappointed five times; on 18 March 1910, on 17 March 1917 & 17 March 1924 by the
Reform Government; 17 March 1931 by the
United Government; and 16 March 1938 by the
First Labour Government. His district was Taranaki, and then Eltham from 1917.
He served on the Council until his death. He was elected
Chairman of Committees on 6 July 1910 and served in this role until 1 November 1918, when he became
Speaker
Speaker may refer to:
Society and politics
* Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly
* Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture
* A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially:
** I ...
, succeeding the deceased
Charles Johnston. He remained Speaker until 18 July 1939; his 21-year service as speaker was an Empire record. He was succeeded by
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
's
Mark Fagan
Mark Anthony Fagan (17 November 1873 – 31 December 1947) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party and a union secretary. He was Speaker of the Legislative Council from 1939 until his death.
Biography Early life
Fagan was born at G ...
during the time of the
First Labour Government.
Carncross was appointed a
Knight Bachelor
The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...
in the
1922 King's Birthday Honours. 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 ...
.
Death
Carncross died on 30 June 1940 at his home in
Eltham
Eltham ( ) is a district of southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. It is east-southeast of Charing Cross, and is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. The three wards of Elt ...
, Taranaki. He was survived by Lady Carncross, a son and a daughter.
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Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Carncross, Walter
1855 births
1940 deaths
Speakers of the New Zealand Legislative Council
Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council
New Zealand Knights Bachelor
New Zealand Liberal Party MPs
New Zealand Liberal Party MLCs
New Zealand MPs for Dunedin electorates
Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
New Zealand businesspeople
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1887 New Zealand general election
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1884 New Zealand general election
19th-century New Zealand politicians
New Zealand politicians awarded knighthoods