Thomas Davey (New Zealand)

Thomas Henry Davey (1856-1934) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for City of Christchurch and Christchurch East.

Member of Parliament

From 1902 to 1905, Davey was one of the three Members of Parliament representing the multi-member City of Christchurch electorate.

In 1905, these multi-member electorates were split up, and he won the Christchurch East electorate, which he held to 1914, when he retired.

Independent Liberal

Like Henry Ell, Davey showed an independent attitude towards the Liberal Government. He demanded an elective executive, and said that Premier Richard Seddon held too many portfolios. He also believed that the Cabinet should be reconstructed. [citation |newspaper=Lyttelton Times |date=16 November 1905 |year=1905: n.p.]

Davey was born in Cornwall, England and came to New Zealand in 1874. He was a printer for the "Lyttelton Times" newspaper and became President of the Typographical Union and Vice-President of the Trades and Labour Council.

Davey was elected Mayor of St. Albans in 1897. He was a member of the Hospital Board and the Board of Canterbury College.

The "Lyttelton Times" parliamentary correspondent described Davey as: "tall, straight, solidly built - the best Mayor St. Albans ever had". [citation |newspaper=Lyttelton Times |date=1 August 1903 |year=1903: n.p.]

References

Further reading

:*citation |first=Michael |last=Bassett |author-link=Michael Bassett |title=Three Party Politics in New Zealand, 1911-1931 |place=n.p. |publisher=Historical Publications |year=1982 |isbn=0-868-70006-1:*citation |first=David |last=Hamer |title=The New Zealand Liberals: the years of power, 1891-1912 |place=Auckland, [N.Z.] |publisher=Auckland University Press |year=1988 |isbn=1-869-40014-3:*citation |first=G. F. |last=Whitcher |title=The New Liberal Party 1905 [M.A.(Hons.) - University of Canterbury] |year=1966:*citation |first=James Oakley |last=Wilson |title=The New Zealand Parliamentary Record: 1840-1984 |edition=4th |place=Wellington, [N.Z.] |publisher=Government Printer |year=1985:*citation |first=G. Antony (ed.) |last=Wood |title=Ministers and Members in the New Zealand Parliament|place=Dunedin, [N.Z.] |publisher=Otago University Press |year=1996 |isbn=1-877-13300-0