Michael Joseph Savage | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Savage in 1935 | |
| 23rd Prime Minister of New Zealand | |
| In office 6 December 1935 – 27 March 1940 | |
| Monarchs | George V Edward VIII George VI |
| Governor-General | George Monckton-Arundell |
| Preceded by | George Forbes |
| Succeeded by | Peter Fraser |
| 3rdLeader of the New Zealand Labour Party | |
| In office 12 October 1933 – 27 March 1940 | |
| Deputy | Peter Fraser |
| Preceded by | Harry Holland |
| Succeeded by | Peter Fraser |
| 12thLeader of the Opposition | |
| In office 12 October 1933 – 6 December 1935 | |
| Preceded by | Harry Holland |
| Succeeded by | George Forbes |
| Member of theNew Zealand Parliament forAuckland West | |
| In office 17 December 1919 – 27 March 1940 | |
| Preceded by | Charles Poole |
| Succeeded by | Peter Carr |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael Savage (1872-03-23)23 March 1872 Tatong, Victoria, Australia |
| Died | 27 March 1940(1940-03-27) (aged 68) Wellington, New Zealand |
| Resting place | Bastion Point,Waitematā Harbour, Auckland |
| Political party | Labour (1916–40) Social Democratic (1913–16) Socialist (1907–13) |
| Occupation |
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| Signature |  |
A radio address by Michael Joseph Savage at the outbreak ofWorld War II, made from his home in Wellington. Recorded 5 September 1939 | |
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Member forAuckland West
Elections | ||
Michael Joseph SavagePC (23 March 1872 – 27 March 1940)[1] was an Australian-born New Zealand politician who served as the 23rdprime minister of New Zealand, heading theFirst Labour Government from 1935 until his death in 1940.
Savage was born in theColony of Victoria (present-day Australia), and emigrated to New Zealand in 1907 at the age of 35. A labourer, he became atrade unionist, and in 1910 was elected president of the Auckland Trades and Labour Council. Savage supported the formation of theNew Zealand Labour Party in July 1916. He was active in local politics before his election to the House of Representatives in1919, as one of eight Labour members returned in that election. Savage was elected unopposed asLabour Party leader in1933.
Savage led the Labour Party to its first ever electoral victory in the1935 election. He won public support for his government's economic recovery policies and social welfare programme. His popularity assured the Labour Party of an even more significant electoral victory in the1938 election. His government joined Britain in declaringwar against Germany in 1939. Savage's health declined rapidly after Labour's second electoral victory and he died in office. He was succeeded as head of government by his deputyPeter Fraser.
Savage saw himself as spokesman on behalf of his entire party and worked to keep its multiple factions in harness, although a left-wing critic of his leadership,John A. Lee, wasexpelled. Commonly known as the architect of theNew Zealand welfare state, Savage is generally regarded by academics and the general public as one of New Zealand's greatest and most revered prime ministers. To date he is the only New Zealand prime minister or premier to serve under threemonarchs:George V,Edward VIII andGeorge VI, owing toEdward's abdication in 1936.
Born as Michael Savage inTatong, Victoria, Australia, he was the youngest of eight children of Irish immigrant parents. His father, Richard Savage, was a native ofDundrum, County Down and his mother Johanna Savage (née Hayes) was fromLimerick. Both migrated to Australia in the 1850s to escape theIrish Famine. He received a Roman Catholic upbringing from his sister Rose, after his mother died when he was aged five. He spent five years attending a state school at Rothesay, the same town as his father's farm. From 1886, aged 14, to 1893 Savage worked at a wine and spirits shop in Benalla.[2] Savage also attended evening classes at Benalla College at this time. Although short in stature, Savage had enormous physical strength and made a name as both a boxer and weightlifter while enjoying dancing and many other sports.
In 1891 Savage was devastated by the deaths of both his sister Rose and his closest brother Joe. He adopted Joe's name and became known as Michael Joseph Savage from then on. After losing his job in 1893, Savage moved toNew South Wales, finding work as a labourer and irrigation ditch-digger inNarrandera for seven years. Whilst there, he joined the General Labourers' Union and became familiar with the radical political theories of the AmericansHenry George andEdward Bellamy, who influenced his political policies in later life.[3]
Savage moved back to Victoria in 1900, working a number of jobs. He became active in thePolitical Labor Council of Victoria, and in1907 he was chosen as the PLC's candidate to stand for theWangaratta electorate. Savage had to pull out after the party was not able to fund his deposit and campaign costs, and John Thomas stood instead.[3][4][5] He remained an active party member and became a close friend of PLC memberPaddy Webb, with whom he was closely linked in later years.[3]
After a farewell function inRutherglen, Savageemigrated to New Zealand in 1907.[4] He arrived inWellington on 9 October, which happened to be Labour Day. There he worked in a variety of jobs, as a miner,flax-cutter and storeman, before becoming involved in theunion movement. Despite initially intending to join Webb on the West Coast, he decided to move north, arriving inAuckland in 1908.
He soon found board there with Alf and Elizabeth French and their two children. Alf had come to New Zealand in 1894 on the shipWairarapa, which was wrecked onGreat Barrier Island, and had helped in the rescue of a girl. Savage, who never married, lived with the French family until 1939, when he moved to the houseHill Haven, 64–66 Harbour View Road, Northland, Wellington, subsequently used by his successor as Prime Minister, Peter Fraser, until 1949.[6] After arriving in Auckland he found employment at Hancock and Co., a brewery. The brewery was owned by a Jewish family who hired irrespective of workers faith helping Savage overcome the anti-Irish Catholic sentiments that were prevalent in much of Auckland at the time.[7] Soon after beginning work he joined the Auckland Brewers', Wine and Spirit Merchants' and Aerated Water Employees' Union and quickly became president of the 154 member union. He was the delegate of the union to the Auckland Trades Council and in 1910 he was elected president of the trades council.[8]
Savage at first opposed the formation of theoriginal New Zealand Labour Party as he viewed the grouping as insufficiently socialistic. Instead he became the chairman of theNew Zealand Federation of Labour, known as the "Red Feds".[3] There, he assisted with organising meetings and group sessions and helped to distribute their socialist newspaper, theMaoriland Worker.
In the1911 and1914 general election campaigns, Savage unsuccessfully stood as the Socialist candidate forAuckland Central, coming second each time toAlbert Glover of theLiberal Party.[3][9] During this time Savage was also involved in local union groups, becoming president of the Auckland Brewers', Wine and Spirit Merchants' and Aerated-water Employees' Union, president of the Auckland Trades and Labour Council, the Auckland organiser for theSocial Democratic Party and supported striking miners at Waihi.[3] During theFirst World War he opposedconscription, arguing "that the conscription of wealth should precede the conscription of men".[3] Savage's opposition to conscription was not absolute, rather based on balance. Indeed, he complied with a conscription order and entered a training camp in 1918, aged 46.[10]
Savage openly supported the formation of a unified New Zealand Labour Party in July 1916, and became its national vice-president in 1918 and later the first permanent national secretary the next year. In1919 Savage was elected as a Labour candidate to both theAuckland City Council and the Auckland Hospital and Charitable Aid Board in local body elections. He served on the Charitable Aid Board until 1922 and as a councillor until 1923 but was re-elected to the Charitable Aid Board in 1927, remaining in office until 1935.[3]
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1919–1922 | 20th | Auckland West | Labour | ||
| 1922–1925 | 21st | Auckland West | Labour | ||
| 1925–1928 | 22nd | Auckland West | Labour | ||
| 1928–1931 | 23rd | Auckland West | Labour | ||
| 1931–1935 | 24th | Auckland West | Labour | ||
| 1935–1938 | 25th | Auckland West | Labour | ||
| 1938–1940 | 26th | Auckland West | Labour | ||
As the war came to an end, the voters of theAuckland West electorate put Savage into Parliament as a Labour member in the1919 general election, an electorate that he held until his death.[11] He became one of eight Labour members of parliament. He formally became the party's deputy-leader after the 1922 election, defeatingDan Sullivan eleven votes to six.[3] Assuming an ever-increasing workload, he had resigned as Labour's national secretary and Auckland Labour Representation Committee secretary in July 1920.
For most of the 1920s Savage sought to expand Labour's support beyond urban unionists and travelled frequently to rural areas. He became the leading advocate for increases to pensions and universally free health care.[12] He is credited for the creation of the Family Allowances Act 1926, which the governingReform Party openly commented that it had modelled the legislation on three earlier defeated bills introduced by Savage.[3] In 1927 Savage and several others persuaded the party to amend its land policy and recognise the right of freehold which was essential in gaining rural support for Labour. In doing so, Savage furthered perceptions that he was a more practical politician than then Labour leaderHarry Holland.[3] In October 1933 Holland died suddenly and Savage took his place becoming Labour's third party Leader.[13]
Savage later helped to engineer an alliance between Labour and theRātana Church, which was gaining a largeMāori following in the 1930s. WhenT .W. Rātana entered politics he allied himself with the Labour Party, which had consulted with his followers over Māori policy. The pact was formalised in a 1936 meeting between Rātana and Savage.[14]
In 1935, Savage was awarded theKing George V Silver Jubilee Medal.[15]
During thedepression, Savage toured the country, and became an iconic figure. An excellent speaker, he became the most visible politician in the land, and led Labour to victory in the1935 election. Along with the Premiership, he appointed himself to the posts ofMinister of External Affairs and Minister of Native Affairs.[16] In 1936 theWeekly News featured Spencer Digby's full page iconic photograph of Savage which was often to be seen framed in many New Zealand homes through the following years.[17] Soon after its election the government gave a "Christmas bonus" of £270,000 to the unemployed and needy.[18] Savage's government also restored wage cuts, expanded pensions, guaranteed farmers' prices, and revalued the currency.[19]
In 1936 the government decided that broadcasting would be run by the state. As a result, a governmentminister in charge of Broadcasting was appointed and new legislation (the Broadcasting Act 1936) was passed that abolished the existing New Zealand Broadcasting Board and established the new National Broadcasting Service in its place. A Director of Broadcasting was appointed and a Broadcasting Advisory Council formed as a result of the act to advise the minister.[20][21] The Labour Party had specifically sought to broadcast parliamentary debates via radio as a means of allowing the public to listen and make their own judgment of events, rather than relying solely on reporting the press, whom Labour were distrustful of.[22] Savage appointed himself as the inaugural minister.[23]
In 1936 the government instituted major reform to industrial relations legislation. TheIndustrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act established a statutory minimum wage, standardised the 40-hour week and made union membership compulsory. It also restored the power of the Arbitration Court and required the court to factor in the needs of wives and dependent children of workers when making general wage orders.[24] The Court of Arbitration was required (as noted by one study) “to stipulate in its awards and agreements a basic wage sufficient to maintain a man, his wife and three children in a fair and reasonable standard of comfort.”[25] Also in 1936, the Factory Act was amended, with a 40-hour workweek introduced together with 8 public holidays.[26] Several other laws affecting working conditions were carried out during the course of Savage's premiership,[27] together with reforms in other areas.
In 1936, for instance, free secondary education was made available up until the age of 19,[28] and a county library service was established.[29] The Fair Rents Act of 1936 introduced regulations on certain rent categories,[30] while the Pension Amendment Act of 1936 made pensions available for deserted wives and invalids.[31] A guaranteed price for cheese and butter exports was provided under the Primary Products Marketing Act,[32] while the Mortgagors and Lessees Rehabilitation Act of 1936 provided assistance to those who (as noted by one study) “were at risk of losing their assets because of mortgage default.”[33] In 1937 a state rental housing scheme was launched,[34] while that same year free milk in primary schools was introduced.[35]
While unemployment was consistently reducing the cabinet continued to spend for unemployment relief. To find a more permanent solution to the unemployment situation the government was promoting the development of secondary industries.[24] Likewise the government announced in May 1936 a three-year public works programme. This not only provided relief work for the unemployed but also restarted thePublic Works Department original function as the development arm of the state. Additionally, all relief workers were placed on standard £4 a week rate of pay.[19]
In April 1938 Savage and his Finance Minister,Walter Nash, began planning Labour's proposals on social security, in-line with their 1935 election promises. Responding to a suggestion from the ReverendW. H. A. Vickery, mayor ofKaiapoi, Savage began to use the term "applied Christianity" to describe the government's scheme.[36]
TheSocial Security Bill put forward by the government boasted an unemployment benefit payable to people 16 years and over; a universal free health system extending to general practitioners, public hospitals and maternity care; a means-tested old-age pension of 30 shillings a week for men and women at age 60; and universal superannuation from age 65.[36] The social security scheme was a collaborative effort, with the detailed negotiations and drafting of the legislation carried out by committees of MPs and public servants. However, Savage's personal involvement was pivotal, as he decided on the basic scheme, helped resolve deep divisions of opinion within the Labourcaucus over principles and detail, made many of the major public pronouncements and guarantees, and astutely responded to opposition from theTreasury, the New Zealand branch of theBritish Medical Association, and the National Party.[3] It was also Savage who insisted that the Act contain a provision that it would not come into force until 1 April 1939, thereby giving National the opportunity to revoke it if they won the1938 general election.[3] The First Labour Government proved popular and easily won the election, with an increased popular mandate. The Social Security Act was eventually passed.[3] The following year, emergency benefits were introduced in hardship cases.[37]
During the1936 abdication crisis, Savage engaged in diplomatic correspondence with the British Prime Minister,Stanley Baldwin. He expressed his reservations regarding the necessity of KingEdward VIII's abdication in light of his intention to marryWallis Simpson, a divorcée. Savage had never even heard of Simpson before the crisis arose.[38] He supported one proposal put forward by the British government that they could marry and Simpson would hold acourtesy title rather than becoming Queen. Nevertheless, Savage stated that he would "be guided by the decision of the Home government".[39]
Savage sailed to Britain in 1937 to attend the coronation of KingGeorge VI, as well as the concurrentImperial Conference. While in London, Savage differentiated himself from the other Commonwealth prime ministers when he openly criticised Britain for weakening theLeague of Nations and argued that the dominions were not consulted with properly on foreign policy and defence issues. Savage's government (unlike Britain) was quick to condemn German rearmament, Japanese expansion in China andItaly's conquest of Abyssinia. Savage criticised Britain's appeasement policies at the conference, saying "Is your policy peace at any price; if it is so I cannot accept it".Anthony Eden replied "No, not at any price, but peace at almost any price", to which Savage replied: "You can pay too high a price even for peace".[40] Britain, Australia, Canada and the oppositionNational Party were critical of Savage for his stance.[3]
Following the 1938 election, at the first Labour caucus on 3 November, Labour under-secretaryJohn A. Lee, a critic of Savage who was bitter about being excluded from the cabinet,[3] attempted acaucus revolt. He moved a proposal that caucus elect a new cabinet rather than endorse either the existing one or one nominated by Savage. After a bitter debate amongst MPs the proposal was successful 26 votes to 23. However, Savage over-ruled the vote and proceeded to inform the press that cabinet would remain unchanged.[41] In December 1938 the infamous "Lee Letter" appeared. It contained many attacks on the financial orthodoxy and over-cautiousness of the Labour leadership. It received wide publicity and led many in the public to question Labour's unanimity.[42] Lee was eventually expelled from the party by the annual conference.[3]
Savage led the country into the Second World War, officially declaring war onNazi Germany on 3 September 1939, just hours after Britain.[43] Unlike Australia, which felt obligated to declare war, as it also had not ratified theStatute of Westminster,[clarification needed] New Zealand did so as a sign of allegiance to Britain, and in recognition of Britain's abandoning its formerappeasement of the dictators, a policy that New Zealand had opposed. This led to Prime Minister Savage declaring (from his sick bed) two days later:[44]
Both with gratitude for the past and confidence in the future, we range ourselves without fear beside Britain. Where she goes, we go. Where she stands, we stand. We are only a small and young nation, but we are one and all a band of brothers and we march forward with union of hearts and wills to a common destiny.
Suffering fromcancer of the colon at the time of the 1938 election, Savage had delayed seeking treatment to participate in the election campaign.[3] In late 1939, John A. Lee was censured for his comment that Savage was "mentally as well as physically ill".[45] Savage died from cancer on 27 March 1940, although the terminal nature of his illness was still being denied at the beginning of March.[46]
Savage brought an almost religious fervour to his politics. This, and his death while in office, has made him become something of an iconic figure tothe Left. Lauded for his welfare policies, Savage's picture reportedly hung in many Labour supporters' homes. His popularity amongst the voting population was so celebrated that he is said to have remarked in disbelief to Lee that, "They [the people] think I am God" after Labour's re-election in 1938.[47] Savage returned to hisCatholic roots shortly before he died.[48]
Hisstate funeral on 30 April 1940 included aRequiem Mass celebrated at theBasilica of the Sacred Heart, Hill St, Wellington before his body was taken amidst general and public mourning by train to Auckland, with frequent halts to allow local people and dignitaries to pay their last respects; the journey was carried live on the radio. The mournful funeral music and speeches was lightened on arrival in Auckland when the announcer intoned reverently "SirErnest Davis is passing round thebier"; Davis, theAuckland mayor, was a wealthy brewer.[49]
He was interred initially in a temporarily adapted harbour defence gun installation. He was soon after removed to a side chapel ofSt Patrick's Cathedral in Auckland, while a national competition was announced, decided, and the winning design of the monumental tomb and memorial gardens at Bastion Point constructed, forming his permanent resting site.
Savage lies buried atBastion Point onAuckland'sWaitematā Harbour waterfront in the Savage Memorial,[50] a clifftopmausoleum crowned by a tallminaret, and fronted by an extensive memorial garden andreflecting pool. Savage's body is interred in a vertical shaft below the sarcophagus.[51] In February 1941, a competition was run by the New Zealand Government for the design of the mausoleum, won by Auckland architects Tibor Donner and Anthony Bartlett. Work begun on the memorial in June 1941, which was completed by March 1942 and officially opened in March 1943.[52]
Michael Joseph Savage is admired from many sides of the political spectrum and is known as the architect of the New Zealand welfare state.[3] His Labour government provided the foundations of thepost-war consensus, based upon the assumption thatfull employment would be maintained byKeynesian policies and that a greatly enlarged system of social services would be created.
He is considered by academics and historians to be one of New Zealand's greatest and most revered prime ministers.[53][12] Often called "Everybody's Uncle", his genial and charismatic personality,[tone] and his skills as an orator, were largely responsible for public acceptance of his government's radical policies. Exemplifying his enthusiasm for his government's policies, Savage personally assisted a family in Fife Lane,Miramar, Wellington, to move their furniture into the first of the government's 1930s state houses.[54]
The iconic 1935 portrait of Savage was hung in many New Zealand homes in the 1930s and 1940s, and previous prime ministerJacinda Ardern had a framed copy in herBeehive office. In December 2020, the originalnegative of the portrait was discovered inTe Papa's collections.[55]
Savage served as patron of theNew Zealand Rugby League.[56]
Savage was awarded the title of "New Zealander of the Century" byThe New Zealand Herald in 1999.[57]
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| New Zealand Parliament | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forAuckland West 1919–1940 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of the Opposition 1933–1935 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Foreign Affairs 1935–1940 | Succeeded by |
| Minister of Native Affairs 1935–1940 | ||
| Prime Minister of New Zealand 1935–1940 | Succeeded by | |
| New title | Minister of Broadcasting 1936–1940 | |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Secretary of theNew Zealand Labour Party 1919–1920 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Deputy Leader of the Labour Party 1923–1933 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party 1933–1940 | |
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| Premiership | | |
| Elections | ||
| Leadership elections | ||
| Related articles | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
