Clifton Webb (politician)

Sir Thomas Clifton Webb KCMG QC (8 March 1889 – 6 February 1962) was a New Zealand politician and diplomat.

The Honourable
Sir Clifton Webb
KCMG QC
Webb in 1949
18th Attorney-General
In office
13 December 1949 – 26 November 1954
Prime MinisterSidney Holland
Preceded byRex Mason
Succeeded byJack Marshall
31st Minister of Justice
In office
13 December 1949 – 26 November 1954
Prime MinisterSidney Holland
Preceded byRex Mason
Succeeded byJack Marshall
Personal details
Born
Thomas Clifton Webb

8 March 1889
Te Kōpuru, New Zealand
Died6 February 1962(1962-02-06) (aged 72)
Wellington, New Zealand
Political partyNational
SpouseLucy Nairn
Children2 daughters
Alma materAuckland University College

Early life

He was born in Te Kōpuru, near Dargaville, in 1889. Thomas Webb was his father. He received his education at Te Kōpuru School, Auckland Grammar School, and the studied at Auckland University College.[1] He practised law in Dargaville. He was in the army from 1917 to 1919, then returned to his practice in Dargaville and was a borough councillor there from 1921 to 1923. He moved to Auckland in 1927 and established a new law firm there.[2]

Member of Parliament
New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate Party
1943–1946 27th Kaipara Independent
1946 Changed allegiance to: National
1946–1949 28th Rodney National
1949–1951 29th Rodney National
1951–1954 30th Rodney National

He sat in Parliament from 1943 until 1954: first as an Independent National MP for Kaipara (1943–1946) and then as the National Party MP for Rodney (1946–1954).[3] A key aide to party leader Sidney Holland, he was appointed to Attorney-General upon National gaining power in 1949. As Minister of Justice, he was responsible for drafting the legislation that resulted in the abolition of the Legislative Council.[2]

In 1951, he took his first step into diplomacy by adding Minister for External Affairs and Minister of Island Territories to his other duties; portfolios which he held from 1951 to 1954.[4] In 1953, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.[5] In 1955, Webb was granted the use of the title of "Honourable" for life, having served more than three years as a member of the Executive Council.[6] He served as the country's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom between 1955 and 1958, and was appointed a Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 1956 New Year Honours.[7]

Family

On 1 September 1915, Webb married Lucy Nairn in Auckland; they were to have two daughters.[1] He died on 6 February 1962 in Wellington.[8] His wife died in 1983.[9]

References
  1. Petersen, George Conrad (1961). Who's Who in New Zealand, 1961 (7th ed.). Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed. p. 290.
  2. Templeton, Hugh. "Webb, Thomas Clifton". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 5 January 2012.
  3. Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer. p. 147.
  4. New Zealand Parliamentary Debates, Vols. 296–304 (1951–1954).
  5. "Coronation Medal" (PDF). Supplement to the New Zealand Gazette. No. 37. 3 July 1953. pp. 1021–1035. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  6. "No. 40421". The London Gazette. 1 March 1955. p. 1269.
  7. "No. 40671". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 January 1956. p. 43.
  8. Petersen, George Conrad (1964). Who's Who in New Zealand, 1964 (8th ed.). Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed. p. 305.
  9. "Details". Wellington City Council. Retrieved 2 May 2021.
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