Alfred Hindmarsh facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alfred Hindmarsh
1st Leader of the Labour Party
In office 7 July 1916 – 13 November 1918
Succeeded by	Harry Holland
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Wellington South
In office 14 December 1911 – 13 November 1918
Preceded by	Robert Wright
Succeeded by	Bob Semple
Member of the Wellington City Council
In office 27 April 1905 – 8 May 1915
Constituency	At-large
Personal details
Born	(1860-04-18)18 April 1860 Port Elliot, South Australia, Australia
Died	13 November 1918(1918-11-13) (aged 58) Wellington, New Zealand
Political party	Labour
Other political affiliations	United Labour (1912–16) Labour (1910–12) IPLL (1904–10)
Spouse	Winifred Taylor ​ (m. 1892⁠–⁠1916)​
Relations	John Hindmarsh (grandfather)
Children	4
Profession	Lawyer

Alfred Humphrey Hindmarsh (born 18 April 1860 – died 13 November 1918) was an important New Zealand politician, lawyer, and union leader. He became the very first leader of the modern New Zealand Labour Party. Sadly, he passed away during the terrible 1918 influenza epidemic.

Early Life and Family

Alfred Hindmarsh was born in Port Elliot, Australia. His grandfather was John Hindmarsh, who was a high-ranking naval officer and the first Governor of South Australia. A governor is like a leader of a region.

Alfred's father, also named John, was a lawyer. When Alfred was ten, his mother passed away. He went to school at St Peter's College in Adelaide.

In 1878, his family moved to Napier, New Zealand. Alfred studied to become a lawyer in Dunedin. He officially became a lawyer in 1891. He worked briefly in Christchurch before settling in Wellington.

In Wellington, he married Winifred Taylor on 3 October 1892. Alfred believed strongly in fairness for everyone, no matter their background.

Early Political Career

Alfred Hindmarsh cared deeply about working people. He held several roles in the local labour movement, which worked to improve conditions for workers. He was not a "socialist" in the extreme sense, but he believed in helping ordinary people.

He led the Wellington branch of the Seamen's Union. He thought that unions should not always support the main political parties. Instead, he wanted workers to have their own strong voice in Parliament.

In 1901, Hindmarsh tried to become a member of the Wellington City Council, but he did not win. However, in 1905, he was elected to the Council. He was supported by a new group called the Independent Political Labour League (IPLL), which he helped start. He stayed a city councillor until 1915.

From 1906 to 1907, he was the president of the IPLL. In 1911, he was also elected to the Wellington Harbour Board, which managed the city's port.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

In the 1905 election, Hindmarsh ran for Parliament but did not win. However, in the 1911 election, he was elected to represent Wellington South. He was part of the original Labour Party at that time. He was one of four Labour candidates who won in 1911.

Over the next few years, the Labour Party went through some changes. In 1912, it was renamed the United Labour Party. Then, in 1913, some groups wanted to merge and form a new party called the Social Democratic Party. Hindmarsh felt this new party might be too extreme. So, he and some others stayed out of it, forming a smaller "remnant" group.

In July 1915, different labour groups, including Hindmarsh's, decided to work together in Parliament. They formed a united group, and Hindmarsh was chosen as their chairman. This meant he was their leader in Parliament.

Soon after, a special national coalition government was formed because of World War I. The leader of the Liberal Party, Sir Joseph Ward, asked Hindmarsh to join the government as a representative for Labour. But Hindmarsh said no. The Labour group decided to stay independent and not join the government.

Since the Liberal Party joined the government, Labour became the largest party not in power. Even though he led this group, Hindmarsh was not officially called the Leader of the Opposition.

In July 1916, most of the group agreed to create the modern Labour Party. Hindmarsh was chosen to be the new party's leader in Parliament. He held this important job until he died.

People said Hindmarsh was a very friendly person who could make friends easily, even with those who had different ideas. This was very helpful because the new Labour Party had many people with different personalities and opinions. He was good at bringing them together. Later, more radical Labour MPs like Harry Holland and Peter Fraser joined. Hindmarsh found it harder to manage everyone, but he still worked to unite the party.

One big disagreement he had with some Labour MPs was about conscription. Conscription meant that people had to join the army, even if they didn't want to. Hindmarsh did not oppose conscription, and two of his own sons fought in the war. He believed that if the country needed people to serve, it was their duty.

Death

Alfred Hindmarsh's wife, Winifred, passed away in 1916. Alfred himself died in Wellington on 13 November 1918. He was still serving as a Member of Parliament when he died. His death was caused by the terrible influenza epidemic that swept across the world.

He left behind four children. His youngest son, Tom, who was eight years old, went to an orphanage. But his 14-year-old sister, Sybil, looked after him on weekends.

See Also

• Electoral history of Alfred Hindmarsh

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  Alfred Hindmarsh