54 Facts About Gordon Coates

Gordon Coates was the third successive Reform prime minister since 1912.

Gordon Coates maintained a focus on farming issues and stood as an independent candidate.

Gordon Coates became a member of Peter Fraser's War Administration from 1940, serving as Minister of Armed Forces and War Co-ordination until his death.

Gordon Coates received a basic education at a local school, and his well-educated mother tutored him.

Gordon Coates became an accomplished horseman, although an accident left him with a bad leg for the rest of his life.

The large Maori population of the area meant that Gordon Coates learned to speak some Maori and understood a lot more.

Gossip suggests that before his marriage, Gordon Coates had two children by a Maori woman.

Gordon Coates allegedly became engaged to Eva Ingall, a teacher, but her father forbade marriage on the grounds that the illness of Coates' father might prove hereditary.

Gordon Coates first became involved in politics with the Otamatea County Council, to which he won election in 1905.

Gordon Coates served as the Council's chairman from 1913 to 1916.

Gordon Coates had previously distinguished himself as commander of the Otamatea Mounted Rifle Volunteers, and had a good local reputation.

When Ward resigned and Thomas Mackenzie replaced him, Gordon Coates declined the offer of a ministerial position.

Gordon Coates had developed this belief due to his own experience with leasehold on his family's farm.

Gordon Coates did not act as a particularly partisan member, and made friends with politicians of many different political shades.

Gordon Coates later became Minister of Public Works and Minister of Railways.

From March 1921, Gordon Coates served as Minister of Native Affairs, where his knowledge of Maori proved a useful asset.

Gordon Coates became a friend of Apirana Ngata, and worked with him to help address Maori concerns.

On 27 May 1925 Gordon Coates was elected Reform's leader having defeated William Nosworthy in a caucus ballot.

Gordon Coates had little enthusiasm for the idea, nor did Bell or any other seniors MPs in Reform, and the idea was rejected thinking that Reform would win the election on its own.

Gordon Coates decided against making any changes to the cabinet before the election.

Personally, Gordon Coates was not ideologically committed any particular political or economic philosophy more noted for his good sense and pragmatism.

Gordon Coates drew large crowds during his election campaign, conducting a speaking tour.

Gordon Coates's speeches were likewise broad on sentiment and light on detail.

The sheer scale of his victory would later turn into a difficulty of its own as Gordon Coates found it difficult to live up to the high expectations on him.

Unsure on how to capitalise on his election win, Gordon Coates had created a new Prime Minister's Department with his private secretary Frank David Thomson as department head to provide a 'greater measure of efficiency in dealing with official matters'.

Gordon Coates seemed unable to impose order on his party, a trait Massey had always been noted for.

Gordon Coates retained the native affairs portfolio throughout his premiership.

Gordon Coates set up a royal commission on Maori land confiscations, known as the Sim commission after its chairman Sir William Sim a supreme court judge.

Gordon Coates' government came under attack in the house by the opposition, particularly over unemployment.

Gordon Coates responded by pushing through emergency legislation empowering local authorities to borrow funds to create jobs.

Gordon Coates had a temporary reprieve from domestic troubles when he left to lead the New Zealand contingent to attend the 1926 Imperial Conference in London.

Late in the year Gordon Coates visited France and Belgium to visit cemeteries where New Zealand First World War soldiers were buried.

Gordon Coates briefly visited Ireland and while in Dublin was awarded an honorary doctorate.

Gordon Coates met with Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, US Secretary of State Frank B Kellogg and President Calvin Coolidge mostly discussing matters of the South Pacific.

Gordon Coates suspended immigration for several months as a reprieve for the problem.

Gordon Coates was to receive much hostility from the farmers who continued to blame him for their continued financial woes.

Gordon Coates premiership was marked by an intention to develop the rural economy of New Zealand, from which he stemmed, particularly in terms of roads and transport infrastructure.

Gordon Coates supported public works schemes as they offered jobs for unemployment relief.

Gordon Coates thought the government was largely incompetent and were risking social cohesion with its austerity.

Gordon Coates sensed a political opportunity to let United take the blame for the depression while leaving his own party comparatively clean.

Against his better judgement Gordon Coates was persuaded to do so.

William Downie Stewart Jr, Gordon Coates' colleague, became Minister of Finance.

Gordon Coates quarrelled with William Downie Stewart Jr over the government's response, and Gordon Coates himself became Minister of Finance.

The Prime Minister, George Forbes, became increasingly apathetic and disillusioned, and increasingly Gordon Coates ran the government.

When United and Reform merged to establish the National Party in May 1936, Gordon Coates sat as a National MP.

Gordon Coates was a loyal supporter of Hamilton, who retained him on the frontbench as finance spokesperson.

Gordon Coates deputised at times for Hamilton including in August 1940 when, while Hamilton was ill, Gordon Coates was acting Leader of the Opposition when war was imminent with Germany.

Gordon Coates ceased all politicking by National and advocated for co-operation with the government for the sake of national defence.

Gordon Coates strongly believed partisanship was a misplaced approach during war, and attempted to convince both Labour and National to work together.

Gordon Coates expressed pleasure when the two parties established a joint War Administration, with the War Cabinet serving as its executive body.

Gordon Coates thus became an Independent, and he decided that he would contest the next election as an independent National candidate, not as the National Party's officially-nominated candidate.

Gordon Coates had smoked heavily for most of his life, and had heart trouble.

Gordon Coates' style lived on through his mentee Keith Holyoake, later prime minister himself, who saw Gordon Coates as his political role model.

Gordon Coates forayed into social welfare policy and centralised agricultural marketing which made enemies on the right in the 1920s and oversaw financial austerity which made him unpopular with the left in the 1930s.