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James Cumming (New Zealand politician)

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New Zealand politician

The HonourableJames CummingMLC
Member of the Legislative Council
In office
23 June 1941 – 31 December 1950
Appointed byPeter Fraser
Personal details
Born21 May 1879
Malvern, New Zealand
Died20 October 1971
Lower Hutt, New Zealand
Political partyLabour
OccupationTrade Unionist

James Cumming (21 May 1879–20 October 1971) was a New Zealand trade unionist and politician.

Biography

Cumming was born in 1879 at Malvern, Canterbury. Cumming was a miner on the West Coast and in the Waikato. He was the chairman of the North Island Miners' District Council. He was an expert in tunneling and worked on the Ōrongorongo Tunnel to improve Wellington's water supply system.

In 1920 he came to Petone, in the Hutt Valley. He subsequently found employment as a waterfront worker and was the president of the Wellington Waterside Workers' Union for two years. Via trade unions he became active in the Labour Party and became president of the Hutt Labour Representation Committee and was also secretary of the Labour Party's Petone branch. In 1930 he was elected a member of the Petone Borough Council. He was twice Labour's candidate for the Petone mayoralty. At the 1944 local election he was defeated for the mayoralty by Harold Green and in 1947 he lost to Alexander MacFarlane. In 1950 he became deputy mayor and was acting mayor for a month in 1957 after the death of Joe Huggan.

He was a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council from 23 June 1941 to 22 June 1948; and 23 June 1948 to 31 December 1950, when the Council was abolished. He was appointed by the First Labour Government.

Cumming was also a member of the Wellington Harbour Board. He was first elected in 1947 and was to serve as a member for twelve years until 1959 representing Hutt.

He died on 20 October 1971, aged 92.

Notes

  1. ^ "Two Labour Stalwarts For Upper House". The Northern Advocate. 25 June 1941. p. 7.
  2. "Two New Members". The Evening Post. Vol. CXXXI, no. 148. 25 June 1941. p. 8.
  3. "Borough of Petone - Declaration of Poll". The Evening Post. Vol. CXXXVII, no. 127. 31 May 1944. p. 3.
  4. "Petone". The Hutt News. Vol. XXI, no. 25. 26 November 1947. p. 7.
  5. "Petone Councillors Pay Tribute To Mr. Huggan". The Evening Post. 18 September 1957.
  6. Wilson 1985, pp. 162.
  7. Johnson 1996, pp. 478.
  8. Parliamentary Debates. Vol. 375. Wellington: A. R. Shearer, Government Printer. 1971. p. 3955.

References

  • Johnson, David (1996). "Members and Officers of the Wellington Harbour Board, Appendix 1". Wellington Harbour. Wellington Maritime Museum Trust. ISBN 0958349800.
  • Wilson, James Oakley (1985) . New Zealand parliamentary record, 1840-1984 (4 ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.


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