David McLaren (politician)

David McLaren (politician)

David McLaren (1872–1939) was a Mayor of Wellington and Member of Parliament in New Zealand.

Contents

Early years

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, McLaren was leader of the Wellington Wharf Labourers Union in New Zealand.[1]

He was a member of the Wellington City Council for eleven years from 1901 to 1912 and was elected Mayor of Wellington in 1912.

Member of Parliament

David McLaren won the seat of Wellington East in 1908 on the second ballot, for the Independent Political Labour League (IPLL).[2] In 1911 he was defeated by the Conservative candidate, Alfred Newman, by 65 votes. At the 1914 contest, McLaren was again unsuccessful, this time by 48 votes.

Independent

McLaren became estranged from the Labour Party during World War I. He was concerned about the rise of militant elements within the party (Gustafson, p. 161). McLaren organised the wartime Welfare League and through this was associated with Edward Kellett.

References

  1. ^ Wellington: Biography of a city by Redmer Yska (Reed, Auckland, 2006) pages 98-99 ISBN 10 0 7900 1117 4
  2. ^ Scholefield, Guy Hardy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand parliamentary record, 1840-1949. Wellington: Govt. Printer. p. 167. 
  • Labour's Path to Political Independence: the Origins and Establishment of the NZ Labour Party 1900-1919 by Barry Gustafson (1980, Oxford University Press, Auckland)
  • No Mean City by Stuart Perry (1969, Wellington City Council) includes a paragraph and a portrait or photo for each mayor