Rex Mason | |
|---|---|
 Mason in 1950 | |
| 17thAttorney-General | |
| In office 6 December 1935 – 13 December 1949 | |
| Prime Minister | Michael Joseph Savage Peter Fraser |
| Preceded by | George Forbes |
| Succeeded by | Clifton Webb |
| In office 12 December 1957 – 12 December 1960 | |
| Prime Minister | Walter Nash |
| Preceded by | Jack Marshall |
| Succeeded by | Ralph Hanan |
| 30thMinister of Justice | |
| In office 6 December 1935 – 13 December 1949 | |
| Prime Minister | Michael Joseph Savage Peter Fraser |
| Preceded by | John Cobbe |
| Succeeded by | Clifton Webb |
| In office 12 December 1957 – 12 December 1960 | |
| Prime Minister | Walter Nash |
| Preceded by | Jack Marshall |
| Succeeded by | Ralph Hanan |
| 18thMinister of Health | |
| In office 12 December 1957 – 12 December 1960 | |
| Prime Minister | Walter Nash |
| Preceded by | Ralph Hanan |
| Succeeded by | Norman Shelton |
| 23rdMinister of Education | |
| In office 30 April 1940 – 18 October 1947 | |
| Prime Minister | Peter Fraser |
| Preceded by | Peter Fraser |
| Succeeded by | Terry McCombs |
| 26thMinister of Native Affairs | |
| In office 7 July 1943 – 19 December 1946 | |
| Prime Minister | Peter Fraser |
| Preceded by | Frank Langstone |
| Succeeded by | Peter Fraser |
| 10thPresident of the Labour Party | |
| In office 8 April 1931 – 29 March 1932 | |
| Vice President | William Atkinson |
| Preceded by | Jim Thorn |
| Succeeded by | Bill Jordan |
| Member of Parliament | |
| In office 15 April 1926 – 29 October 1966 | |
| Constituency | Eden(1926–1928) Auckland Suburbs(1928–1946) Waitakere(1946–1963) New Lynn(1963–1966) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Henry Greathead Rex Mason (1885-06-03)3 June 1885 Wellington, New Zealand |
| Died | 2 April 1975(1975-04-02) (aged 89) Wellington, New Zealand |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | Dulcia Martina Rockell |
| Children | 4 |
| Alma mater | Victoria University |
Henry Greathead Rex MasonCMG QC (3 June 1885 – 2 April 1975) was a New Zealand politician. He served asAttorney General,Minister of Justice,Minister of Education, andMinister of Native Affairs, and had a significant influence on the direction of theLabour Party. Thelongest-serving Member of Parliament in New Zealand history, Mason served in Parliament continuously from 1926 to 1966. He is also the only person to serve as a Member of the New Zealand Parliament for over 40 years.[1]
Mason was born inWellington on 3 June 1885.[2] His father was Harry Brooks Mason, a compositor at the Government Printing Works (who worked forHansard for a time) fromSouth Africa. His mother, Henrietta Emma Rex, was an Australian who helped form the Women's Social and Political League and was vice-president in 1894. She also taught ballroom dancing in Wellington prior toWorld War I.[3]
Mason was educated atClyde Quay School, thenWellington College where he wasdux in 1902. He won a scholarship and attendedVictoria University where graduated in 1907 with aMaster of Arts with honours in mathematics and aBachelor of Laws. He then worked in several law firms in Wellington andEltham before opening his own practice inPukekohe in 1911. He was soon joined in the practice by his brother Spencer, who later became president of theAuckland District Law Society.[3]
On 27 December 1912 Mason married Dulcia Martina Rockell at Auckland. Together they had two sons and two daughters.[3] Through his wife's influence, Mason become interested inIndian religion and spirituality, and beliefs derived from it (particularlyTheosophy). He was avegetarian and ateetotaller.[2][4]
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1926–1928 | 22nd | Eden | Labour | ||
| 1928–1931 | 23rd | Auckland Suburbs | Labour | ||
| 1931–1935 | 24th | Auckland Suburbs | Labour | ||
| 1935–1938 | 25th | Auckland Suburbs | Labour | ||
| 1938–1943 | 26th | Auckland Suburbs | Labour | ||
| 1943–1946 | 27th | Auckland Suburbs | Labour | ||
| 1946–1949 | 28th | Waitakere | Labour | ||
| 1949–1951 | 29th | Waitakere | Labour | ||
| 1951–1954 | 30th | Waitakere | Labour | ||
| 1954–1957 | 31st | Waitakere | Labour | ||
| 1957–1960 | 32nd | Waitakere | Labour | ||
| 1960–1963 | 33rd | Waitakere | Labour | ||
| 1963–1966 | 34th | New Lynn | Labour | ||
Mason was electedMayor of Pukekohe in 1915. He was left-wing in his political outlook, and joined theLabour Party on its foundation in 1916. In the1919 general election, he was Labour's candidate for the seat ofManukau, but was defeated. Mason sought the Labour nomination for the1921 by-election in theAuckland East seat, but was beaten byJohn A. Lee.[5] Later, he shifted his attention to the seat ofEden — he contested it in the1922 election and1925 election. He finally won Eden in a1926 by-election, assisted by the fact that theReform Party's vote was split by a defeated nominee,Ellen Melville.
Rex Mason represented the seat ofEden in the 22nd Parliament (1926–28),Auckland Suburbs in the 23rd to 27th Parliaments (1928–46),Waitakere in the 28th to 33rd Parliaments (1946–63), andNew Lynn in the 34th Parliament (1963–66).
In both1931 and1933 he stood unsuccessfully forMayor of Auckland City on a Labour Party ticket, defeated byGeorge Hutchison on both occasions.[6][7]
Throughout his parliamentary career, Mason remained highly involved in the organisation of the Labour Party. He served as its president from 1931 to 1933, and played a major role in policy formulation. Mason was regarded as asocial democrat rather than asocialist, and he played a part in moving the Labour Party closer to the political centre. He did, however, believe that the state should have exclusive control over the country's financial system, influenced bysocial credit monetary reform theories. Other causes supported by Mason include the establishment of a comprehensive old-age pension system and the granting of full state services tonaturalised immigrants (the latter making him extremely popular with his electorate's substantialYugoslavian community).[2]
In 1935, Mason was awarded theKing George V Silver Jubilee Medal.[8]
When Labour won the1935 general election, Mason becameAttorney General andMinister of Justice, reflecting his legal background.[9] When disputes arose between the party leadership andJohn A. Lee's more radical faction, Mason remained on good terms with both sides — while he sympathised with some of Lee's points, particularly regarding monetary reform, he did not join Lee's breakawayDemocratic Labour Party (DLP). Mason later served asMinister of Education (where he worked closely withC. E. Beeby to implement educational reforms) and asMinister of Native Affairs. In 1941 the Public Service CommissionerThomas Mark died in (or just outside) the minister's office, during a confrontation with Mason who wanted the resignation of the head of a department.
The chief justice,Michael Myers, was of the view that the Crown's principal law officers should beKing's Counsel. On 23 July 1946, Mason (who was Minister of Justice) andHerbert Evans (who wassolicitor-general) received their appointment.[10] Mason was not returned to Cabinet after the1946 election, but returned to fill a vacancy the following year. After Labour lost office, he continued to agitate on a number of issues, notablydecimal currency.[4]
In 1953 Mason was among several Labour MPs who attempted anabortive coup to remove the 71-year-oldWalter Nash as party leader, others includedBill Anderton andArnold Nordmeyer. Mason informed Nash that several members were complaining about the party's leadership to him, and that he thought that the majority wanted to have a new leader. By 1954 a majority of the caucus was in favour of leadership change but pressure from the unions and continued support from Party branches allowed Nash to survive the subsequent caucus vote.[11]
In 1953, Mason was awarded theQueen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.[12]
After Labour won the1957 election, Mason returned to his previous roles of Attorney General and Minister of Justice. He was also madeMinister of Health.[13]
In 1959 he introduced a bill proposing that men convicted of homosexual acts should be dealt with as merely indecent assaults and therefore carry a lighter penalty. Mason was unfairly and inaccurately accused of attempting to amend the law to legalise homosexual acts between consenting males and adopt the recommendations of the 1957Wolfenden Report on homosexuality in England. In 1961 Nationals deputy leaderJack Marshall retracted much of his party's criticism, claiming they had misunderstood the intention of the bill.[14]
Mason eventually retired from politics at the1966 election, under a certain amount of pressure from colleagues who wished to "rejuvenate" the Labour Party. Mason was now in his eighties.[2] Two years earlier he had brokenĀpirana Ngata's record for the longest consecutive service in Parliament andMaurice O'Rorke's record for the longest overall service in Parliament. He is the only person to have served as an MP for over 40 years.[1]
He was invited by new Prime MinisterNorman Kirk as a guest of honour to the first meeting of caucus following Labour's victory in the1972 election where he oversaw the election of the cabinet.[15]
In the1967 New Year Honours, Mason was appointed aCompanion of the Order of St Michael and St George, for public services.[16]
Mason died in Wellington on 2 April 1975, aged 89, and his ashes were buried inKarori Cemetery.[17][18]
Mason Street in his home electorate of New Lynn is named after him.
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament for Eden 1926–1928 | Succeeded by |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Auckland Suburbs 1928–1946 | Constituency abolished |
| Member of Parliament for Waitakere 1946–1963 | Succeeded by | |
| Member of Parliament for New Lynn 1963–1966 | Succeeded by | |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Minister of Justice 1935–1949 1957–1960 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Attorney-General 1935–1949 1957–1960 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Succeeded by | |
| Preceded by | Minister of Education 1940–1947 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Native Affairs 1943–1946 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Minister of Health 1957–1960 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | President of the Labour Party 1931–1932 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
