Arthur Shapton Richards (1877 – 5 August 1947) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.
Biography
Early life
He was born in Reading, Berkshire, England and came to New Zealand in 1894, first at Gisborne and then Poverty Bay where he worked on sheep farms. In 1903 he married Elizabeth Warneford. He briefly moved to Wanganui in 1908 where he founded Wanganui Branch of New Zealand Socialist Party before returning to Gisborne where he became President of East Coast Trades Council and was also Secretary of Gisborne Hotel Workers' Union from 1911 to 1917. He was Gisborne Drivers' Union delegate to the 1913 Unity Congress. In 1922 he moved to Auckland.[1]
He stood unsuccessfully in the Hamilton electorate in 1922, Marsden in 1925,[3] and Roskill in 1928.[4] He contested Roskill again at the subsequent general election in 1931 and this time, he was successful. He held Roskill until 1946, when he successfully transferred to the "safe" (for Labour) Mount Albert electorate in the 1946 general election.
Following an electoral redistribution the Roskill electorate remained, but 75% of its area became the new Mount Albert electorate. Consequently Richards thought that Mount Albert would be the more suitable electorate for him to represent. He won selection over Martyn Finlay, Tom Skinner and Frank Langstone (Langstone would in turn replace Richards in Roskill).[5] He died in office on 5 August 1947.[6] His death caused the 1947 by-election, which was won by Warren Freer.[7]
He was the senior Government whip from 1942 until his death, and was succeeded in that position by his deputy, Robert Macfarlane.[8]
Richards died on 5 August 1947 after an illness extending over several weeks. He was survived by his wife, son and two daughters.[10]
In recognition of Richards' work in establishing state housing in Mount Roskill, Auckland, the Arthur S Richards Memorial Park was named in his honour.[11]
