Fred Jones (New Zealand politician)

Frederick Jones (born Charles Frederick Benney Dunshea; 16 November 1884 – 25 May 1966) was a New Zealand trade unionist, Member of Parliament and the Defence Minister during World War II. His biographer stated that Jones "...symbolised the ordinary Labour man: modest, hard working, patient, tolerant, and above all, loyal."[1]

Fred Jones
Jones in 1935
19th Minister of Defence
In office
6 December 1935 – 13 December 1949
Prime MinisterMichael Joseph Savage
Peter Fraser
Preceded byJohn Cobbe
Succeeded byTom Macdonald
31st Postmaster-General
In office
6 December 1935 – 1 April 1940
Prime MinisterMichael Joseph Savage
Preceded byAdam Hamilton
Succeeded byPaddy Webb
Member of Parliament for St Kilda
Dunedin South (1931–1946)
In office
2 December 1931 – 1 September 1951
Preceded byWilliam Taverner
Succeeded byJim Barnes
Personal details
Born
Charles Frederick Benney Dunshea

(1884-11-16)16 November 1884
Dunedin, New Zealand
Died25 May 1966(1966-05-25) (aged 81)
Dunedin, New Zealand
SpouseJessie Agnes Hudson
RelationsWally Hudson (brother-in-law)
Children3
ProfessionCobbler

Biography

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Early life and career

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Jones was born Charles Frederick Benney Dunshea in Dunedin on 16 November 1884. His mother then married Charles Jones in 1890.[2] He first entered trade aged 14 in 1898 as a draper. Three years later he became an apprentice bootmaker. In 1910 he married Jessie Agnes Hudson with whom he had three sons. That same year, after finishing his apprenticeship, he joined Messrs Sargood, Son and Ewen Ltd. as a boot clicker. He worked there for 21 years until his election to Parliament.[3]

During this time he became a trade unionist, joining the Bootmakers' Union for over 30 years. He worked his way up the union hierarchy and eventually became president of the union. He was also secretary of the Employees' Sick Benefit Society. In 1912 he joined the Otago Trades Council (of which he served as president three times) and became a member of the Dunedin branch of the first Labour Party.[3] Jones proved to be a middle-of-the-roader Labour member, wanting change but not radicalism. He was an acolyte of Tom Paul, the most prominent unionist in Otago and followed him into the re-modeled Labour Party upon its formation in 1916.[1] In 1928 he was appointed by the government as a member of the Footwear Inquiry Committee. He was also a member of the Workers' Educational Association and served as its dominion president.[3]

Local-body politics

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Jones unsuccessfully contested the Mayoralty of Dunedin as the Labour candidate in 1929.[4] In 1933 he was elected a member of the Dunedin City Council, holding a seat until 1937 when he resigned following his appointment as a Cabinet Minister. From 1935 he had been the deputy mayor.[5]

During the Great Depression Jones was chairman of the tramways committee. On the council he fought for various proposals, but following his elevation to Cabinet he was unable to play as active a role in local affairs as he wished. The 1935 election resulted in a Labour majority on the council, however many of the councillors who were also MPs and became unable to effectively fulfil their civic duties. Between March 1936 and March 1937 Jones was able to attend only two percent of council and committee meetings leading him to resign that December.[1][6]

His eldest son Ernest Frederick Jones, a returned prisoner of war, stood as the Labour Party candidate for Mayor of Dunedin at the 1947 local elections. However he was beaten convincingly by incumbent Donald Cameron.[7]

Following the defeat of the Labour government in 1949 he stood again for the city council at the 1950 local-body elections. He was successful and remained a member until 1958 when he again resigned when he accepted a diplomatic posting. He served a second spell as deputy mayor from 1953 to 1956.[8]

He was also a member of both the Otago Harbour Board and the Otago Hospital Board.[3]

Member of Parliament

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New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate Party
1931–1935 24th Dunedin South Labour
1935–1938 25th Dunedin South Labour
1938–1943 26th Dunedin South Labour
1943–1946 27th Dunedin South Labour
1946–1949 28th St Kilda Labour
1949–1951 29th St Kilda Labour

Jones was the Member of Parliament for two Dunedin electorates: Dunedin South from 1931 to 1946, and then St Kilda from 1946 to 1951 when he was unexpectedly defeated, and was also defeated in an attempt to regain the seat in 1954.[9] During his twenty years in Parliament he built up a reputation for hard work, friendly counsel and honesty.[3] His ministerial rank strengthened his bargaining powers within the government and enabled him to provide his Dunedin constituents with a multitude of new amenities and modernised infrastructure.[1]

 
Jones with military officers in Tunisia, 1943

He was Minister of Defence from 1935 to 1949, and Postmaster-General between 1935 and 1940 in the First Labour Government.[10] He also served as Minister in charge of War Pensions and Civil Aviation.[3] His appointment as Minister of Defence was controversial as it had been widely expected that John A. Lee (a distinguished former soldier) would get the job. Officers in the military likewise expressed their displeasure at having to 'kow-tow to a bootmaker' as their new superior.[1]

 
Jones meeting officers of HMNZS Achilles

As Minister of Defence during the duration of World War II he carried a tremendous workload but proved himself to be an effective administrator.[3] ln July 1940 Jones was appointed a member of the War cabinet to deal with war production and finance and any other matters related to the war.[11] He implemented the rearmament of New Zealand in the lead up to the war. He expanded the navy, created the air force and bolstered the territorial force. He was a key attendee of the Pacific Defence Conference held in Wellington in 1939 and served on the Council of Defence recruiting committee where he increased the number of volunteers.[1]

In 1935, Jones was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.[12]

Diplomatic career

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Following the election of the Second Labour Government he was appointed by Prime Minister Walter Nash as New Zealand's High Commissioner to Australia in 1958. He served for three years until he retired after the expiry of his term in 1961.[3]

Later life and death

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In retirement he became president of the Dunedin Homing Pigeon Club and a trustee of Caversham kindergarten. He also furthered his involvement in horse racing, a sport which he had a lifelong interest despite never owning any horses himself.[3]

His wife Jessie died in 1941. Her brother Wally likewise became a Labour MP in 1946.[1]

He died on 25 May 1966, aged 81. He was survived by his three sons.[3]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g Olssen, Erik. "Jones, Frederick". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  2. ^ Southern People: A dictionary of Otago Southland biography. Longacre Press Dunedin & Dunedin City Council. 1998. p. 258. ISBN 1 877135 119.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Labour Stalwart Dies In Dunedin". Otago Daily Times. No. 32346. 26 May 1966. pp. 1, 3.
  4. ^ Gustafson 1986, pp. 284.
  5. ^ "Past Dunedin City Councils - Council 1929 - 1938". Dunedin City Council. Archived from the original on 26 September 2003. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  6. ^ "A New Councillor". Otago Daily Times. No. 23368. 7 December 1937. p. 8.
  7. ^ "Details of the Polling". Otago Daily Times. No. 26623. 20 November 1947. p. 8.
  8. ^ "Past Dunedin City Councils - Council 1950 - 1965". Dunedin City Council. Archived from the original on 21 May 2003. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
  9. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 209.
  10. ^ Wilson 1985, pp. 82–85.
  11. ^ Sinclair 1976, p. 203.
  12. ^ "Official jubilee medals". Evening Post. Vol. CXIX, no. 105. 6 May 1935. p. 4. Retrieved 31 July 2019.

References

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Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Defence
1935–1949
Succeeded by
Preceded by Postmaster-General
and Minister of Telegraphs

1935–1940
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Broadcasting
1944–1949
Succeeded by
Preceded by Deputy Mayor of Dunedin
1935–1937

1953–1956
Succeeded by
Preceded by Succeeded by
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Dunedin South
1931–1946
Constituency abolished
New constituency Member of Parliament for St Kilda
1946–1951
Succeeded by
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by High Commissioner to Australia
1958–1961
Succeeded by