17 Facts About Mick Moohan

Michael Moohan was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Seldom known to anyone by anything other than "Mick Moohan", he was a major organisational figure in the Labour Party's early history and went on to become a significant politician in his own right as an MP and cabinet minister.

Mick Moohan was born in Garrison, County Fermanagh, Ireland, in 1899, he was brought up in Manchester, England.

Mick Moohan served with the 2nd Division, Royal Engineers during World War I in France and then in the Army of Occupation, the Army of the Rhine.

Mick Moohan was elected a member of the Ohakune Borough Council from 1932 to 1935, serving as deputy mayor.

Mick Moohan joined Labour's national office as an assistant secretary in 1937, and in 1940 was elected as Labour's national secretary-treasurer.

Mick Moohan was elected the Member of Parliament for the new electorate of Petone in 1946 and served until 1967, when he died.

Mick Moohan fought off deputy leader Walter Nash for the Labour nomination who indicated his preference for contesting the Petone seat after an electoral redistribution occurred which made his seat of Hutt more marginal.

Mick Moohan was described by contemporaries as a colourful character and effective debater.

Mick Moohan was appointed by Peter Fraser to oversee the government's post-war state housing scheme.

Mick Moohan was a critic of Nash's leadership and helped organise a leadership challenge against him in 1954, though in the event switched sides and voted for Nash due to the increasing unpopularity of a leadership change among party members.

Mick Moohan was both Minister of Railways and Postmaster-General and Minister of Telegraphs in the Second Labour Government from 1957 to 1960.

Mick Moohan was not even allocated a front bench seat and made no secret of his disappointment.

However Nordmeyer eventually replaced Nash as leader and Mick Moohan began agitating against the party leadership .

Mick Moohan had been indifferent health and was absent from Parliament for seven weeks in July and August 1966 suffering from a throat complaint.

Mick Moohan died at his home in Lower Hutt on 7 February 1967, aged 68, survived by his wife and five children.

Mick Moohan was buried at the Taita Lawn Cemetery in Lower Hutt.