Bob Semple | |
|---|---|
 Bob Semple in 1935 | |
| 21stMinister of Public Works | |
| In office 8 November 1942 – 13 December 1949 | |
| Prime Minister | Peter Fraser |
| Preceded by | Tim Armstrong |
| Succeeded by | Stan Goosman |
| In office 6 December 1935 – 21 January 1941 | |
| Prime Minister | Michael Joseph Savage Peter Fraser |
| Preceded by | John Bitchener |
| Succeeded by | Tim Armstrong |
| 14thMinister of Railways | |
| In office 12 December 1941 – 13 December 1949 | |
| Prime Minister | Peter Fraser |
| Preceded by | Dan Sullivan |
| Succeeded by | Stan Goosman |
| Member of theNew Zealand Parliament forMiramar Wellington East (1928–1946) | |
| In office 14 November 1928 – 13 November 1954 | |
| Preceded by | Thomas Forsyth |
| Succeeded by | Bill Fox |
| 7thPresident of the Labour Party | |
| In office 7 April 1926 – 12 April 1928 | |
| Vice President | Jim Thorn (1926-7) John Archer (1927-8) |
| Leader | Harry Holland |
| Preceded by | Tom Brindle |
| Succeeded by | John Archer |
| Member of theNew Zealand Parliament forWellington South | |
| In office 19 December 1918 – 17 December 1919 | |
| Preceded by | Alfred Hindmarsh |
| Succeeded by | George Mitchell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 21 October 1873 Sofala, New South Wales, Australia |
| Died | 31 January 1955(1955-01-31) (aged 81) New Plymouth, New Zealand |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | Margaret Semple |
Robert Semple (21 October 1873 – 31 January 1955) was a union leader and later Minister of Public Works for the firstLabour Government of New Zealand. He is also known for creating theBob Semple tank.
Semple was born inSofala, New South Wales, Australia. He started working at an early age as gold miner in Australia. In 1903 he was involved in a miner's strike inVictoria, Australia. The strike was defeated and Semple ended up being blacklisted.[1]
To avoid the blacklist Semple moved to theWest Coast of theSouth Island of New Zealand. By 1907 he was president of theRunanga Miner's Union and earned himself nickname 'Fighting Bob Semple'.
He was jailed in 1913 for supportingthe general strike and again in 1916 after fightingconscription for overseas service during World War I. Semple served as the President of the Labour Party from 1926 to 1928.[2]
Semple was a member of theWellington City Council for a decade between 1925 and 1935. In 1935 he unsuccessfully stood forMayor of Wellington, coming runner-up toThomas Hislop.[3] His wifeMargaret was also a Wellington City Councillor from 1938 to 1941.[4]
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1918–1919 | 19th | Wellington South | Labour | ||
| 1928–1931 | 23rd | Wellington East | Labour | ||
| 1931–1935 | 24th | Wellington East | Labour | ||
| 1935–1938 | 25th | Wellington East | Labour | ||
| 1938–1943 | 26th | Wellington East | Labour | ||
| 1943–1946 | 27th | Wellington East | Labour | ||
| 1946–1949 | 28th | Miramar | Labour | ||
| 1949–1951 | 29th | Miramar | Labour | ||
| 1951–1954 | 30th | Miramar | Labour | ||
Semple was elected to the seat ofWellington South Parliament for Labour in a1918 by-election, but lost the seat in the1919 general election. In 1928 he won theWellington East seat, and held it until 1946, when it was renamedMiramar. He then held Miramar until 1954, when he retired.[5]
In 1935, he was awarded theKing George V Silver Jubilee Medal.[6] Semple was a prolific user of "unparliamentary language" during his time as an MP, and was fond of insulting colleagues by calling or comparing them to Australian animals such askookaburras,kangaroos anddingoes.[7]
During his term in Parliament, Semple held many important infrastructure portfolios, such asMinister of Public Works (1935–1941, 1942–1943) andMinister of Railways (1941–1949).[8] Semple was seen by many as the public face of thefirst Labour government's infrastructure investment. He reshaped the Public Works Department by resuming its original function as the development arm of the government by phasing out its focus on relief work from theGreat Depression.[1]
DuringWorld War II he had built the 'Bob Semple tank', made fromcorrugated iron and a tractor base. The tank had numerous design flaws and other practical problems and was never put into production. In later life, he became an ardent anti-communist.[1] In 1953, Semple was awarded theQueen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.[9] He did not seek re-election in the1954 election, and died in New Plymouth in January 1955.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Minister of Public Works 1935–1941 1942–1949 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Minister of Railways 1941–1949 | |
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Wellington South 1918–1919 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Wellington East 1928–1946 | Constituency abolished |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Miramar 1946–1954 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | President of the Labour Party 1926–1928 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
