Michael Joseph Savage
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rt. Hon. Michael Joseph Savage | |
 |
|
|
|
|
| In office 6 December 1935 – 27 March 1940 |
|
| Preceded by | George William Forbes |
|---|---|
| Succeeded by | Peter Fraser |
|
|
|
| Born | 23 March 1872 Tatong Victoria  Australia |
| Died | 27 March 1940 (Aged 68) Wellington  New Zealand |
| Constituency | Auckland West |
| Political party | Labour |
| Profession | Unionist |
| Religion | Initially Catholic, then Rationalist, then Catholic again |
Michael Joseph Savage (March 23, 1872 – March 27, 1940) was a New Zealand politician and the first Labour Prime Minister of New Zealand. He is regarded as one of New Zealand's greatest leaders.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Savage was born in Tatong, Victoria, Australia and first became involved in politics while working in that state. He emigrated to New Zealand in 1907. There he worked in a variety of jobs, as a miner, flax cutter and storeman, before becoming involved in the union movement. Savage was initially opposed to the formation of the Labour party as he viewed it as not sufficiently socialistic. Instead he became the chairman of the New Zealand Federation of Labour, known as the Red Feds.
[edit] Early political career
In the 1911 election Savage unsuccessfully stood as the Socialist candidate for Auckland Central. During World War I he opposed conscription, arguing that the conscription of wealth should precede the conscription of men. After the war Savage was elected to Parliament as a Labour candidate. He was one of eight Labour members of parliament and became the party leader following the death of Harry Holland. He helped engineer the Labour/Ratana alliance.
[edit] Prime Minister
During the depression, Savage toured the country, and became an iconic figure. An excellent speaker, Savage became the most visible politician in the country and led Labour to victory in the 1935 election. The first Labour government swiftly proved popular and easily won the 1938 elections with an increased majority. Savage was suffering from cancer at the time, but had delayed seeking treatment to participate in the election campaign. Savage was to die from this cancer in 1940.
A life long bachelor, Savage brought an almost religious fervour to his politics. This, and his death while in office, has made him become something of an iconic figure to the Left. The architect of the welfare state, his picture was reportedly found in many Labour supporters' homes. Savage rejected Rationalism during later life and returned to his Catholic roots. A Requiem Mass was offered at his state funeral. While younger generations are less aware of him, he is still revered by many older New Zealanders.
Savage is buried at Bastion Point on Auckland City's Waitemata Harbour waterfront in the Savage Memorial, a clifftop mausoleum crowned by a tall minaret, and fronted by an extensive memorial garden and reflective pool.
[edit] External link
- Michael Joseph Savage in the Dictionary of New Zealand Biography
- Official biography
| Prime Minister of New Zealand |  |
|||
| Preceded by: George Forbes | (1935 - 1940) | Succeeded by: Peter Fraser | ||
| Sewell | Fox | Stafford | Domett | Whitaker | Weld | Waterhouse | Vogel | Pollen | Atkinson | Grey | Hall | Stout | Ballance | Seddon | Hall-Jones | Ward | Mackenzie | Massey | Bell | Coates | Forbes | Savage | Fraser | Holland | Nash | Holyoake | Marshall | Kirk | Rowling | Muldoon | Lange | Palmer | Moore | Bolger | Shipley | Clark | ||||
