Alexander Hogg

Alexander Wilson Hogg c. 1901

Alexander Wilson Hogg (9 February 1841 – 17 November 1920) was a member of parliament for Masterton, in the North Island of New Zealand.

Member of Parliament

Parliament of New Zealand
Years	Term	Electorate		Party
1890–1893	11th	Masterton		Liberal
1893–1896	12th	Masterton		Liberal
1896–1899	13th	Masterton		Liberal
1899–1902	14th	Masterton		Liberal
1902–1905	15th	Masterton		Liberal
1905–1908	16th	Masterton		Liberal
1908–1911	17th	Masterton		Liberal

Hogg contested the Masterton electorate in the 1887 election, but was beaten by George Beetham.^[1] He represented the Masterton electorate in the New Zealand House of Representatives for 21 years from 1890 to 1911.^[2]

New Liberal Party

Alexander Wilson Hogg caricature, 1896

Hogg was associated with the New Liberal Party in 1905. Like most of the other New Liberals, Hogg wanted the establishment of a State bank,^[3] but he did not share their zeal for constitutional innovations, rejecting the idea of the referendum and claiming that the Elective Executive Bill should be put in the rubbish bin.^[4]

Hogg was made Minister of Labour, Customs, and Roads and Bridges in 1909. But he resigned from his portfolios in the same year because of general dissatisfaction with the Ward Government's policies.^[5]

Alexander Hogg sought election in 1911 as an Independent Labour candidate, and in 1912 became a member of the first New Zealand Labour Party. However, in the 1914 contest he stood as a Liberal in Masterton.^[6]

He was a newspaper editor/owner of the Wairarapa Star.

Quote

Alexander Hogg on politics in 1882: "Our system of general government is imperfect. The framework is already eroded and moth-eaten, loaded with parasites, suffering from a species of dry rot" ^[7]

References

1. "The General Election, 1887". National Library. 1887. p. 2. Retrieved 25 February 2012.
2. Wilson 1985, p. 205.
3. New Zealand Parliamentary Debates 100: 713–714
4. See New Zealand Parliamentary Debates 101: 611; and New Zealand Parliamentary Debates 131: 511
5. Hamer, David A. (1988), The New Zealand Liberals: the years of power, 1891–1912, Auckland, [N.Z.]: Auckland University Press, ISBN 1-86940-014-3 p.299.
6. Gustafson, Barry S. (1961), The Advent of the New Zealand Labour Party, 1910–1919 [M.A. – University of Auckland] p.301.
7. "none", Wairarapa Star, 2 May 1882

Further reading

Works by Hogg

• Hogg, Alexander W. (1880–1912) [approx.], [Scrapbooks of newspaper cuttings, ca. 1880–1912]

• This is a collection of forty volumes of clippings (with tables of contents) from Wairarapa newspapers (and Wellington's "Dominion"). This collection is also available on microfiche.

• Hogg, Alexander W. (1887–1914) [approx.], Clippings

• This is a collection of clippings from Wairarapa newspapers (and Wellington's "Dominion").

Works about Hogg

• [The Settlers' handbook and diary, 1896], Eketahuna, [N.Z.]: Sparks & Blakemore, 1896
• This volume contains a biography of Hogg.
• Arnold, Rollo. "Hogg, Alexander Wilson 1841–1920". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 5 April 2011.
• Gustafson, Barry S. (1961), The Advent of the New Zealand Labour Party, 1910–1919 [M.A. – University of Auckland]
• Hamer, David A. (1988), The New Zealand Liberals: the years of power, 1891–1912, Auckland, [N.Z.]: Auckland University Press, ISBN 1-86940-014-3
• Whitcher, G. F. (1966), The New Liberal Party 1905 [M.A.(Hons.) – University of Canterbury]
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
• Wood, G. Antony (ed.) (1996), Ministers and Members in the New Zealand Parliament, Dunedin, [N.Z.]: Otago University Press