Arthur Shapton Richards

Arthur Shapton Richards in 1935

Arthur Shapton Richards (1877 – 5 August 1947) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Biography

Parliament of New Zealand
Years	Term	Electorate		Party
1931–1935	24th	Roskill		Labour
1935–1938	25th	Roskill		Labour
1938–1943	26th	Roskill		Labour
1943–1946	27th	Roskill		Labour
1946–1947	28th	Mount Albert		Labour

He was born in Reading, Berkshire, England and came to New Zealand in 1894, first at Gisborne and Poverty Bay, then from 1922 Auckland.^[1]

He stood unsuccessfully in the Hamilton electorate in 1922, Marsden in 1925,^[2] and Roskill in 1928.^[3] He contested Roskill again at the subsequent general election in 1931 and this time, he was successful. He held Roskill until 1946, when he successfully stood in the Mount Albert electorate in the 1946 general election. He died in office on 5 August 1947.^[4] His death caused the 1947 by-election, which was won by Warren Freer.^[5]

He was the senior Government whip from 1942 until his death, and was succeeded in that position by his deputy, Robert Macfarlane.^[6]

He was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal in 1935.^[7]

Notes

1. Gustafson 1986, p. 295.
2. The General Election, 1925. Government Printer. 1926. p. 1. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
3. "The Next Parliament". The New Zealand Herald. LXVIII (21046). 3 December 1931. p. 11. Retrieved 25 December 2014.
4. Wilson 1985, p. 230.
5. Wilson 1985, p. 198.
6. Wilson 1985, pp. 280–281.
7. "Official jubilee medals". The Evening Post CXIX (105). 6 May 1935. p. 4. Retrieved 4 June 2014.

References

• Gustafson, Barry (1986). From the Cradle to the Grave: a biography of Michael Joseph Savage. Auckland: Reed Methuen. ISBN 0-474-00138-5.
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.