Bruce Barclay

Bruce Barclay
Barclay in 1966
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Christchurch Central
In office
29 November 1969 – 28 June 1979
Preceded by Robert Macfarlane
Succeeded by Geoffrey Palmer
Personal details
Born 21 October 1922
Dargaville, New Zealand
Died 28 June 1979(1979-06-28) (aged 56)
New Zealand
Political party Labour

Bruce Gillespie Barclay (21 October 1922 – 28 June 1979) was a New Zealand politician, being the Member of Parliament for Christchurch Central in the South Island.

Early life and family

Barclay was born in 1922 in Dargaville. He was the son of James Gillespie Barclay (1882–1972), a farmer, MP for Marsden (1935-1943) and Minister of Agriculture between 1941 and 1943.[1] Ron Barclay was his cousin. Bruce Barclay received his education at Whangarei High School. His second marriage was on 2 November 1968 to Ethel Audrey Howe, the daughter of G. Howe. They had one son and two daughters.[2] Towards the end of his life, he lived in Tancred Street in the Christchurch suburb of Linwood.[2]

Barclay represented South Canterbury in rugby (1942–1944) and tennis (1943, 1945, 1946). From 1956, he was director of the Canterbury Dairy Farmers. He played golf for recreation.[2]

Political career

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate Party
1969–1972 36th Christchurch Central Labour
1972–1975 37th Christchurch Central Labour
1975–1978 38th Christchurch Central Labour
1978–1979 39th Christchurch Central Labour

Barclay was a member of the Lyttelton Harbour Board from 1965 to 1968.[2] He represented the Christchurch Central electorate in the New Zealand House of Representatives from 1969 to 1979 when he died.[3] He had previously stood unsuccessfully for Labour in Fendalton in the 1963 election, the 1966 election, and the 1967 by-election. The polling night results in the Fendalton by-election showed a 67-vote majority to Barclay, however after special votes were counted National did manage to hold the seat by just 286 votes, a swing of over 5% to Labour.[4] This was a surprise result in a safe National seat.

Barclay's death on 28 June 1979 caused the 1979 Christchurch Central by-election that was won by Geoffrey Palmer.[5] Barclay was much-liked within the Labour Party.[6]

Notes

  1. ↑ Wilson 1985, pp. 83, 182.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Traue 1978, p. 51.
  3. ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 182.
  4. ↑ Grant 2014, pp. 110.
  5. ↑ Sisterson, Craig (13 August 2015). "The Interview - Sir Geoffrey Palmer". WildTomato. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
  6. ↑ Bassett 2008.

References

  • Grant, David (2014). The Mighty Totara: The life and times of Norman Kirk. Auckland: Random House. ISBN 9781775535799.
  • Bassett, Michael (2008). Working with David: Inside the Lange Cabinet. Auckland: Hodder Moa. ISBN 978-1-86971-094-1. Retrieved 14 May 2017.
  • Traue, James Edward, ed. (1978). Who's Who in New Zealand (11th ed.). Wellington: Reed.
  • Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand parliamentary record, 1840–1984 (4 ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
  • Wood, G. Antony (ed.) (1996). Ministers and Members in the New Zealand Parliament. Dunedin: Otago University Press. ISBN 1-877133-00-0.
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by
Robert Macfarlane		 Member of Parliament for Christchurch Central
1969–1979		 Succeeded by
Geoffrey Palmer
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