19 Facts About Alfred Hindmarsh

Alfred Humphrey Hindmarsh was a New Zealand politician, lawyer, and unionist.

Alfred Hindmarsh served as the first leader of the modern New Zealand Labour Party.

Alfred Hindmarsh's grandfather was recalled to England in 1838, but his father, named John Hindmarsh, returned to South Australia and worked as a lawyer.

Alfred Hindmarsh lost his mother when he was ten, and his father remarried.

Alfred Hindmarsh was educated at St Peter's College in Adelaide.

Alfred Hindmarsh trained as a lawyer in Dunedin and was admitted to the bar in 1891, when he briefly worked in Christchurch at the Supreme Court.

Alfred Hindmarsh settled in Wellington, living in Derwent Street, Island Bay.

Politically, Alfred Hindmarsh was left-wing and held a number of positions in the local labour movement.

In 1901, Alfred Hindmarsh himself stood for the Wellington City Council but was unsuccessful, coming in third to last with only 2,028 votes.

Alfred Hindmarsh was one of four Labour candidates elected in 1911, he was assisted in his campaign in Wellington South by two future Labour MPs, Jim Thorn and Walter Nash who were delighted at the party's success.

In 1913, the United Labour Party itself agreed to merge with the Socialist Party to form the Social Democratic Party, but Alfred Hindmarsh believed that the resulting party would be too extreme.

Alfred Hindmarsh chose became one of a group of United Labour loyalists who remained outside the Social Democrats, forming a loosely organised "remnant" faction.

In July 1915, when the Social Democrats and the United Labour remnant agreed to form a united caucus, Alfred Hindmarsh was selected as the groups chairman.

One month later a national coalition government was established in response to the severity of World War I The leader of the Liberal Party, Sir Joseph Ward, invited Hindmarsh to be a member of the cabinet in the national ministry as the representative of the Labour Party.

However, Alfred Hindmarsh declined the offer and the Labour caucus decided to maintain its independence by not joining the national ministry.

Contrary to convention Alfred Hindmarsh was not officially recognised as the Leader of the Opposition with Ward still retaining the title, albeit in name only.

Alfred Hindmarsh differed from most of his party colleagues by not opposing conscription and two of his sons fought in the war.

When Labour MP Paddy Webb was arrested in May 1917 for sedition, by making an anti-conscription speech at a West Coast coal mine, there was speculation that the pro-conscription Alfred Hindmarsh might be apprehended merely by association to Webb.

Alfred Hindmarsh died in Wellington in office on 13 November 1918 in the influenza epidemic of 1918.