William Thomas Jennings
Encyclopedia
William Thomas Jennings (1854 – 6 February 1923) was a Liberal Party
Member of Parliament in New Zealand.
, where he attended St. Paul's school and subsequently became an apprentice printer in the offices of the New Zealander. Subsequently he worked for a number of newspapers: the Thames Guardian and the Dunedin Guardian as foreman, then the Dunedin Age and The Oamaru Mail as manager, followed by a move back to Auckland in 1882 to become foreman on the Evening Star
.
on 15 October 1892 as a representative of labour, and was known for his common sense, ability and courtesy. He also worked with the secretary of the New Zealand Tailoresses' Union to improve working conditions for women in that industry.
He won the Egmont
electorate in the 1902 general election
, and held it to 1908. In 1908
he won the Taumarunui
seat but was defeated in 1911 general election
. He won the seat back in 1914
, but on 14 May 1915 the election was declared void. He won the seat in the subsequent 1915 by-election and held it to 1919. In 1919 he won the Waitomo
seat but was defeated in 1922 general election
.
His death in Wellington
on 6 February 1923 was reported in The Argus
(Melbourne).
New Zealand Liberal Party
The New Zealand Liberal Party is generally regarded as having been the first real political party in New Zealand. It governed from 1891 until 1912. Out of office, the Liberals gradually found themselves pressed between the conservative Reform Party and the growing Labour Party...
Member of Parliament in New Zealand.
Career
He was born in AucklandAuckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, where he attended St. Paul's school and subsequently became an apprentice printer in the offices of the New Zealander. Subsequently he worked for a number of newspapers: the Thames Guardian and the Dunedin Guardian as foreman, then the Dunedin Age and The Oamaru Mail as manager, followed by a move back to Auckland in 1882 to become foreman on the Evening Star
Auckland Star
The Auckland Star was an evening daily newspaper published in Auckland, New Zealand, from 24 March 1870 to 20 August 1991. Survived by its Sunday edition, the Sunday Star, part of its name endures in The Sunday Star-Times, created in the 1994 merger of the Dominion Sunday Times and the Sunday...
.
Political life
A social reformer, he worked hard to represent men and women of the labouring classes and to improve their conditions. He was called to a seat in the New Zealand Legislative CouncilNew Zealand Legislative Council
The Legislative Council of New Zealand was the upper house of the New Zealand Parliament from 1853 until 1951. Unlike the lower house, the New Zealand House of Representatives, the Legislative Council was appointed.-Role:...
on 15 October 1892 as a representative of labour, and was known for his common sense, ability and courtesy. He also worked with the secretary of the New Zealand Tailoresses' Union to improve working conditions for women in that industry.
He won the Egmont
Egmont (New Zealand electorate)
Egmont is a former New Zealand electorate, in south Taranaki. It existed from 1871 to 1978.-Geographic coverage:Egmont is the old name of the mountain that is the Taranaki landmark of Mount Taranaki. A village north of the mountain is also called Egmont....
electorate in the 1902 general election
New Zealand general election, 1902
The New Zealand general election of 1902 was held on Tuesday, 25 November in the general electorates, and on Monday, 22 December in the Māori electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 15th session of the New Zealand Parliament...
, and held it to 1908. In 1908
New Zealand general election, 1908
The New Zealand general election of 1908 was held on Tuesday, 17 November, 24 November and 1 December in the general electorates, and on Wednesday, 2 December in the Māori electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 17th session of the New Zealand Parliament...
he won the Taumarunui
Taumarunui (New Zealand electorate)
Taumarunui was a parliamentary electorate in the King Country in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of New Zealand from 1908 to 1919.The electorate was represented by two Members of Parliament: William Thomas Jennings 1908–11 and 1914–19, and Charles Kendall Wilson 1911–14.Jenings had won the seat back...
seat but was defeated in 1911 general election
New Zealand general election, 1911
The New Zealand general election of 1911 was held on Thursday, 7 and 14 December in the general electorates, and on Tuesday, 19 December in the Māori electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 18th session of the New Zealand Parliament...
. He won the seat back in 1914
New Zealand general election, 1914
The New Zealand general election of 1914 was held on 10 December to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 19th session of the New Zealand Parliament. A total number of 616,043 voters were registered, of which 84.7% voters turned out to vote....
, but on 14 May 1915 the election was declared void. He won the seat in the subsequent 1915 by-election and held it to 1919. In 1919 he won the Waitomo
Waitomo (New Zealand electorate)
Waitomo was a parliamentary electorate in the Waikato region of New Zealand, from 1919 to 1972.-Members of Parliament for Waitomo:-References:...
seat but was defeated in 1922 general election
New Zealand general election, 1922
The New Zealand general election of 1922 was held on Monday, 6 December in the Māori electorates, and on Tuesday, 7 December in the general electorates to elect a total of 80 MPs to the 21st session of the New Zealand Parliament...
.
His death in Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
on 6 February 1923 was reported in The Argus
The Argus (Australia)
The Argus was a morning daily newspaper in Melbourne established in 1846 and closed in 1957. Widely known as a conservative newspaper for most of its history, it adopted a left leaning approach from 1949...
(Melbourne).
Other positions held
He also held the following positions at various times in his life:- lieutenant in the Hobson Rifle Volunteer Corps
- past district grand president of the order of Druids
- honorary secretary to the Auckland Liberal Association
- chairman of the Auckland Typographical Association