Vincent Ward (politician)

Vincent Aubrey Ward CBE (4 January 1886 – 9 February 1946) was a New Zealand businessman, Member of Parliament and a Member of the Legislative Council.

The Honourable
Vincent Ward
CBE
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Invercargill
In office
13 August 1930 – 2 December 1931
Preceded bySir Joseph Ward
Succeeded byJames Hargest
New Zealand Legislative Councillor
In office
22 June 1934 – 9 February 1946†
Appointed byGeorge Forbes
Personal details
Born
Vincent Aubrey Ward

4 January 1886
Bluff, New Zealand
Died9 February 1946(1946-02-09) (aged 60)
New Zealand
Political partyUnited
Spouse
Sybil Mary Petre
​
(m. 1927)​
RelativesSir Joseph Ward (father)
Joseph Ward (nephew)
Francis Petre (brother-in-law)
Henry William Petre (father-in-law)

Biography

Early life

Born in Bluff in 1886 and was educated at the Bluff State Primary School and St. Patrick's College in Wellington. He was the second born son of future Prime Minister Sir Joseph Ward.[1]

He found employment with the National Bank of New Zealand at Wellington before leaving for England in 1907 where he worked first with the merchant firm Messrs.' James Morrison and Son and then at the insurance branch of Lloyds Bank. In 1908 he travelled to New York, spending a period with the U.S. Steel corporation. Ward then left for Montreal in 1911 where he became joint manager of the New Zealand Shipping Company. During World War I he served in the Motor Boat Patrol, gaining his commission in 1915 while Canada. After the war he went to New York for the British Ministry of Shipping before returning to New Zealand in 1920. Upon his arrival in New Zealand he moved to Christchurch and joined his father's firm, Messrs.' J. G. Ward and Co. He married Sybil Mary Petre in 1927.[1] She was the daughter of Henry William Petre and the sister of Francis Petre.[2]

Political career
New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate Party
1930–1931 23rd Invercargill United

He first became involved in politics in 1922 he became his father's private secretary prior to the unsuccessful Tauranga by-election, before moving to Wellington after Sir Joseph re-entered Parliament in 1925. He remained as private secretary for the duration of Sir Joseph's second period as Prime Minister.[3]

He replaced his father in the 13 August 1930 by-election for the parliamentary seat of Invercargill that was held after Sir Joseph died. He stood for the United Party, retaining the seat for the government. He retired from Parliament at the next general election in 1931.[4]

He was subsequently appointed to the Legislative Council on 22 June 1934 by Sir Joseph's successor as Prime Minister, George Forbes. At the expiry of his first term, he was reappointed on 23 June 1941 by Peter Fraser. He served until his death on 9 February 1946.[5][6]

In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.[7] In 1938 he unsuccessfully stood for the Wellington City Council on a Citizens' Association ticket.[8][9]

Later life and death

In later life he was director of several companies and also became secretary of the Wellington Metropolitan Patriotic Council in September 1940.[9][1] He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1946 New Year Honours.[4]

Ward died in Wellington on 9 February 1946, aged 60.[1]

Notes
  1. "Obituary - Hon. V. A. Ward". Evening Star. No. 25714. 11 February 1946. p. 4. Retrieved 14 August 2019.
  2. "Hon. Henry William Petre". The Peerage. 11 August 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  3. Bassett 1993, p. 275.
  4. Wilson 1985, p. 244.
  5. Wilson 1985, p. 166.
  6. Wood 1996, pp. 104, 114.
  7. "Official jubilee medals". Evening Post. Vol. CXIX, no. 105. 6 May 1935. p. 4. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  8. "Election Recounts". Evening Post. Vol. CXXV, no. 114. 17 May 1938. p. 12. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  9. "Who's Who for the Elections". Evening Post. Vol. CXXV, no. 107. 9 May 1938. p. 6. Retrieved 27 October 2016.

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vincent Ward (politician).
  • Bassett, Michael (1993). Sir Joseph Ward: A Political Biography. Auckland: Auckland University Press.
  • Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
  • Wood, G. A. (1996) [1987]. Ministers and Members in the New Zealand Parliament (2nd ed.). Dunedin: University of Otago Press. ISBN 1-877133-00-0.
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