Alexander Donald McLeod

Alexander Donald McLeod (13 July 1872 – 20 October 1938) was a Reform Party Member of Parliament in the Wairarapa region of New Zealand. He was Minister of Lands (1924–1928) and Industries and Commerce (1926–1928) in the Reform Government.

Early life

McLeod was born in the Wairarapa in 1872. He was the third son of William McLeod, one of the pioneers of the district. He became an apprentice on his father's farm and afterwards ran his own sheep farm. He was elected onto the Featherston Road Board and, when it was formed in 1902, the Featherston County Council. He remained on the county council until 1919.^[1]

Member of Parliament

Parliament of New Zealand
Years	Term	Electorate		Party
1919–1922	20th	Wairarapa		Reform
1922–1925	21st	Wairarapa		Reform
1925–1928	22nd	Wairarapa		Reform
1931–1935	24th	Wairarapa		Reform

McLeod won the Wairarapa electorate in the 1919 general election in a triangular contest, defeating the incumbent, J. T. Marryat Hornsby.^[2] He held the electorate until 1928,^[3] when he was defeated by Thomas William McDonald of the United Party.^[4] McLeod won the seat back in 1931, and retired in 1935.^[3] He was Minister of Lands (1924–1928) and Minister of Industries and Commerce (1926–1928).^[5] McLeod was the New Zealand government representative in May 1927 at the inauguration of the new Parliament House when the federal capital moved to Canberra.^[1]

Just before the 1931 election, the United and Reform parties announced a coalition, following the collapse of an earlier coalition between United and Labour.^[6] Part of the agreement was that all sitting members who support the coalition would in turn receive the official endorsement as coalition candidate. This pragmatic decision caused trouble in those electorates where the voters were not satisfied with the incumbent's performance, for example in the Wairarapa and Otaki electorates.^[7] Local electorate committees were not supportive of McDonald and supported McLeod instead.^[8][9] Consequently, McLeod stood as a Coalition Independent or Independent Reform candidate in 1931^[10][11][12] and won the election with a 7% margin of the votes.^[13] McLeod was a supporter of the coalition in the house.^[14]

McLeod was a close associate of Gordon Coates.^[15]

Later life

McLeod was a member of the Wellington Harbour Board (April 1919 – April 1921)^[16] and the Wairarapa member of the Wellington Hospital Board.^[17] He was a steward of the Wairarapa Racing Club.^[1]

McLeod died at his home at Martinborough on 20 October 1938,^[1] and was buried at Martinborough Cemetery.^[18] He was survived by his wife and children,^[1] his son Norman Murdoch McLeod having drowned while duck-shooting at Kahutara in 1936.^[19][20]

Notes

1. "Obituary". The Evening Post. CXXVI (97). 21 October 1938. p. 10. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
2. The New Zealand Official Year-Book. Government Printer. 1920. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
3. Scholefield 1950, p. 124.
4. Wilson 1985, pp. 214, 217.
5. Wilson 1985, pp. 78f.
6. "Coalition Announced". The New Zealand Herald. LXVIII (20982). 19 September 1931. p. 10. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
7. "Hints of Trouble". The Evening Post CXII (106). 31 October 1931. p. 12. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
8. "Wairarapa Seat". The Evening Post CXII (102). 27 October 1931. p. 10. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
9. "Wairarapa Seat". The Evening Post CXII (120). 17 November 1931. p. 10. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
10. Bassett 1982, p. 67.
11. Habershon 1958, pp. 122, 138.
12. Wilson 1985, p. 217.
13. The General Election, 1931. Government Printer. 1932. p. 5. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
14. "Wellington Contests". The New Zealand Herald. LXVIII (21043). 30 November 1931. p. 11. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
15. Bassett 1995, p. ?.
16. "Ex-Members of Harbour Board". The Evening Post. CXXVI (102). 27 October 1938. p. 22. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
17. "The Next Parliament". The New Zealand Herald. LXVIII (21046). 3 December 1931. p. 11. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
18. "Funeral notices". Evening Post. 21 October 1938. p. 1. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
19. "Accidental drowning". Auckland Star. 16 June 1936. p. 18. Retrieved 24 April 2016.
20. "Many mourners". Evening Post. 17 June 1936. p. 10. Retrieved 24 April 2016.

References

• Bassett, Michael (1982). Three Party Politics in New Zealand 1911–1931. Auckland: Historical Publications.
• Bassett, Michael (1995). Coates of Kaipara.
• Habershon, R.G. (1958). A Study in Politics: 1928–31 (MA thesis). Auckland: University of Auckland.
• Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.