Peter Carr (politician)

Peter Carr (1884 – 18 October 1946) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Peter Carr
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Auckland West
In office 18 May 1940 – 18 October 1946
Preceded by	Michael Joseph Savage
Succeeded by	Seat abolished
Personal details
Born	1884 Papakura, New Zealand
Died	18 October 1946 (aged 61–62) New Zealand
Political party	Labour
Occupation	Trade unionist

Private life

Carr was born in Papakura in 1884, the son of R. and A Carr.[1] He was educated locally at the Papakura and Drury schools.[2] In his youth, he played cricket and football.[1] A quiet spoken man, he was to live in Auckland his whole life. He later entered the union movement as a career and became president of the Auckland Tramways Union, serving in the post for twelve years (1928–1940).[1][2] Carr served in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force during World War I as a motorman, holding the rank of Lance Corporal.

In 1916, he married Margaret Duckworth, the daughter of A. Duckworth. In 1941, they lived in Kelmarna Avenue in Herne Bay.[1]

Political career

New Zealand Parliament
Years	Term	Electorate		Party
1940–1943	26th	Auckland West		Labour
1943–1946	27th	Auckland West		Labour

Carr was a founding member of the Labour Party, joining on its inception in 1916.[2] He entered the political arena via local body politics and was elected as an Auckland City Councillor in 1935 and 1938. He served as the City Council's representative on the committee of the Leys Institute and was also a member of the council's works committee.[1][2]

He represented the Auckland West electorate from a 1940 by-election after the previous holder, Labour prime minister Michael Joseph Savage, died in office.[3]

Carr fell ill during the 1946 session but remained in Parliament for his vote to be counted.[4] On 5 October, shortly before the end of that year's session, he announced his intention to retire at the upcoming general election. He died a fortnight later, on 18 October, a month before the general election.[5][6]

Notes

1. Scholefield 1941, p. 102.
2. "Auckland West". The Evening Post. CXXIX (118). 20 May 1940. p. 8. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
3. Wilson 1985, pp. 188, 233.
4. "Personal". Otago Daily Times (26289). 22 October 1946. p. 4. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
5. "Mr. Peter Carr". Gisborne Herald. LXIII (22156). 19 October 1946. p. 6. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
6. Wilson 1985, p. 188.

References

• Gustafson, Barry (1980). Labour's path to political independence: The Origins and Establishment of the New Zealand Labour Party, 1900–19. Auckland, New Zealand: Auckland University Press. ISBN 0-19-647986-X.
• Gustafson, Barry (1986). From the Cradle to the Grave: a biography of Michael Joseph Savage. Auckland: Reed Methuen. ISBN 0-474-00138-5.
• Scholefield, Guy (1941). Who's Who in New Zealand and the Western Pacific, 1941 (4th ed.). Masterton.
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.

External links

• Photo of Carr from the Otago Daily Times