The Reverend
Clyde Leonard Carr
15th President of the Labour Party
In office
14 April 1936 – 30 March 1937
Vice PresidentJim Thorn
Preceded byWalter Nash
Succeeded byJames Roberts
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Timaru
In office
14 November 1928 – 21 July 1962
Preceded byFrank Rolleston
Succeeded byBasil Arthur
Personal details
Born14 January 1886
Auckland, New Zealand
Died18 September 1962
Christchurch, New Zealand
Political partyLabour Party
SpouseLaurel Carr
ParentRev. Thomas Goodwill Carr

Clyde Leonard Carr (14 January 1886 – 18 September 1962) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party, and was a minister of the Congregational Church.[1]

Biography

Early life and career

Carr was born in Ponsonby, Auckland in 1886.[1] His father was the Rev. Thomas Goodwill Carr (died 1935).[2] Carr was educated at Nelson College from 1899 to 1902.[3] Ordained as a minister in 1915, he was on the Christchurch City Council between 1923 and 1927 and the Hospital Board in the 1920s, after working in commerce and banking. Carr was also committed to animal welfare and in April 1936 he was elected to the office of President of the federated Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.[4]

Political career

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate Party
1928–1931 23rd Timaru Labour
1931–1935 24th Timaru Labour
1935–1938 25th Timaru Labour
1938–1943 26th Timaru Labour
1943–1946 27th Timaru Labour
1946–1949 28th Timaru Labour
1949–1951 29th Timaru Labour
1951–1954 30th Timaru Labour
1954–1957 31st Timaru Labour
1957–1960 32nd Timaru Labour
1960–1962 33rd Timaru Labour

Carr joined the Labour Party in the early 1920s.[1] He unsuccessfully sought the Labour nomination in the 1925 election in the Kaiapoi, Riccarton, and Ellesmere electorates.[1] He moved to Timaru to contest the 1928 election in the Timaru electorate; he had no prior family or other connection to this provincial town.[5] His 1928 election win was an unexpected upset, ousting the popular local lawyer Frank Rolleston, who was Attorney-General, Minister of Justice, and Minister of Defence at the time.[1][6] Rolleston was the son of William Rolleston, one of the most influential politicians of the 19th century in Canterbury.[7]

Carr represented the Timaru electorate from 1928 to 1962, when he resigned.[8] His long representation of the electorate is unique in that a provincial town was not a safe Labour seat, and he had no prior relation with the people of Timaru before moving there to contest the 1928 election.[9]

He was a dissident, getting three votes when he ran against Peter Fraser for Labour's leadership in 1940 to replace Savage as party leader.[10]

He was not appointed to any ministerial positions, but was Chairman of Committees (1947–1949)[11] and Deputy Speaker (1946–1950). He was Vice-President of the Labour Party (1933–1934) and President (1936–1937). Carr was widely read, and could assist the whips if the party was caught "on the hop" by speaking for his full-time while the party reorganised. He had a struggle to exist on his Parliamentary salary (£7 or $14 a week when he entered the house in 1928) and also contribute to local raffles and fundraisers. To save money he lived in his office, sleeping on a day-bed, although Nash tried to ban this for a time.[12]

Death

Grave of Carr and his wife Laurie

His wife died in April 1961 and he moved back to Christchurch soon after.[1] He resigned from Parliament on 31 May 1962,[8] and died on 18 September 1962.[1]

Honours

Carr was born in Ponsonby, Auckland in 1886.[1] His father was the Rev. Thomas Goodwill Carr (died 1935).[2] Carr was educated at Nelson College from 1899 to 1902.[3] Ordained as a minister in 1915, he was on the Christchurch City Council between 1923 and 1927 and the Hospital Board in the 1920s, after working in commerce and banking. Carr was also committed to animal welfare and in April 1936 he was elected to the office of President of the federated Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.[4]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Brown, Colin. "Carr, Clyde Leonard". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b "Rev. T G Carr". The Evening Post. Vol. CXX, no. 30. 3 August 1935. p. 11. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  3. ^ a b Nelson College Old Boys' Register, 1856–2006, 6th edition
  4. ^ a b "S.P.C.A. Societies". The Evening Post. Vol. CXXI, no. 97. 24 April 1936. p. 28. Retrieved 15 November 2013.
  5. ^ Kerr 2003, p. 7.
  6. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 79.
  7. ^ Gardner, W. J. "Rolleston, William". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
  8. ^ a b Wilson 1985, p. 188.
  9. ^ Kerr 2003, pp. 7f.
  10. ^ Bassett, Michael (August 1997). "Peter Fraser". Margaret Clark. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  11. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 252.
  12. ^ Freer, Warren W (2004). A Lifetime in Politics: the memoirs of Warren Freer. Wellington: Victoria University Press. pp. 128, 129. ISBN 0-86473-478-6.

References

Books by Carr

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Clyde Carr.
Political offices Preceded byRobert McKeen Chairman of Committees of the House of Representatives 1947–1949 Succeeded byCyril Harker New Zealand Parliament Preceded byFrank Rolleston Member of Parliament for Timaru 1928–1962 Succeeded byBasil Arthur Party political offices Preceded byWalter Nash President of the Labour Party 1936–1937 Succeeded byJames Roberts
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