Sir Basil Arthur, 5th Baronet
- Sir Basil Arthur, 5th Baronet
Sir Basil Malcolm Arthur, 5th Baronet (18 September 1928 - 1 May 1985) served as Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 1984 to 1985. He was a member of the Labour Party.
Early life
Sir Basil was born in Timaru, New Zealand. His father, a hotel proprietor, inherited the title of 4th Baronet in 1941 and it passed to Basil upon his death in 1949. Sir Basil, who showed a preference for labouring jobs, made little of his title.
Member of Parliament
In 1962, he was elected to Parliament as the Labour MP for Timaru. On entering Parliament at 33 he was the country's youngest MP.
Cabinet minister
He was Minister of Transport and Minister in Charge of the State Insurance Office from 1972 till 1975.
When Labour won the 1984 election, Sir Basil became Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives.
peaker
He served as Speaker for one year, before passing away in office after a short illness. The then Prime Minister, David Lange recalled in "My Life" (2005) that Sir Basil was gravely ill in Wellington Hospital, and if he resigned from the member's superannuation scheme before he died (but not otherwise) his estate would get a lump-sum payment. He had to answer a question in the house, then went to hospital with a letter of resignation "only to find that he had died hardly a minute before I got there". And Labour lost the subsequent Timaru by-election, with a candidate that did not suit "the conservative character of the electorate."
It is interesting to note that Sir Basil is the second baronet to serve as Speaker. The first being Sir Charles Clifford, 1st Baronet Clifford, of Flaxbourne (First Speaker of the New Zealand House of Representatives).
External links
* [http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/dnzb/default.asp?Find_Quick.asp?PersonEssay=5A19 Dictionary of New Zealand Biography entry]
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
Sir Charles Seely, 2nd Baronet — Sir Charles Hilton Seely, 2nd Baronet KGStJ (7 July 1859 – 26 February 1926)[1] was a British industrialist, landowner and Liberal Unionist (later Liberal Party) politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Lincoln from 1895 to 1906 and … Wikipedia
Arthur Baronets — There have been two Arthur Baronetcies, one of Upper Canada that was created on 5 June 1841, and one of Carlung, Ayr that was created on 10 January 1903. They were both in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. Arthur Baronets, of Upper Canada… … Wikipedia
Basil Brooke, 1st Viscount Brookeborough — Infobox Prime Minister honorific prefix = The Right Honourable name=The Viscount Brookeborough honorific suffix = Bt., KG, CBE, MC, PC, HML imagesize = 150px order=5th office =Prime Minister of Northern Ireland term start = May 1, 1943 term end … Wikipedia
Viscount Brookeborough — Viscount Brookeborough, of Colebrooke in the County of Fermanagh, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1952 for the Ulster Unionist politician and Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Sir Basil Brooke, 5th Baronet.… … Wikipedia
High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire — The High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, in common with other counties, was originally the King s representative on taxation upholding the law in Saxon times. The word Sheriff evolved from shire reeve . The title of High Sheriff is therefore much… … Wikipedia
Baron Aylmer — Lord Aylmer, Baron of Balrath, in the County of Meath, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1718 for the naval commander Matthew Aylmer. He was the second son of Sir Christopher Aylmer, 1st Baronet, of Balrath (see below).… … Wikipedia
Beaumont Baronets — There have been four Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Beaumont, all in the Baronetage of England. One creation is extant as of 2008.The Beaumont Baronetcy, of Cole Orton in the County of Leicester, was created in the Baronetage of … Wikipedia
Athenaeum Club — The Athenaeum Club is a gentlemen s club standing at 107 Pall Mall, London, England, at the corner of Waterloo Place. It is noted for its large library, and for a bas relief frieze decorating the club house exterior. It was long regarded as a… … Wikipedia
List of Conservative Party (UK) MPs — This is a list of Conservative Party MPs. It includes all Members of Parliament elected to the British House of Commons representing the Conservative Party from 1834 onwards. Members of the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Assembly or the European… … Wikipedia
Western architecture — Introduction history of Western architecture from prehistoric Mediterranean cultures to the present. The history of Western architecture is marked by a series of new solutions to structural problems. During the period from the… … Universalium
