Michael Moohan
| The Honourable Michael Moohan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 17th Minister of Railways | |
|
In office 8 December 1957 – 31 August 1960 | |
| Prime Minister | Walter Nash |
| Preceded by | John McAlpine |
| Succeeded by | John McAlpine |
| Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Petone | |
|
In office 1946 – 7 February 1967 | |
| Succeeded by | Fraser Colman |
| 18th President of the Labour Party | |
|
In office 1955–1960 | |
| Vice President | Martyn Finlay |
| Preceded by | Arnold Nordmeyer |
| Succeeded by | Martyn Finlay |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
27 April 1899[1] Garrison, County Fermanagh, Ireland |
| Died | 7 February 1967 (aged 67) |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse(s) | Cecilia Hayman |
Michael Moohan (27 April 1899 – 7 February 1967) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.
Early life
Moohan was born in Garrison, County Fermanagh, Ireland, in 1899, he was brought up in Manchester, England, and served in WW1 in France and then in the Army of Occupation, the Army of the Rhine. Returned to England where the land 'fit for heroes' didn't emerge and emmigrated to New Zealand in 1922 , where he joined the Labour Party. .[2] In 1923 he married Cecilia Hayman; they had one son and four daughters.
After arriving in New Zealand Moohan became active in support of Labour in the Waimarino district. After, leaving Waimarino for Auckland, he was elected vice-president and later as secretary of the Auckland Labour Representation Committee. He joined Labour's national office as an assistant secretary in 1937, and in 1940 was elected as Labour's national secretary-treasurer.[3]
Member of Parliament
| New Zealand Parliament | ||||
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | |
| 1946–1949 | 28th | Petone | Labour | |
| 1949–1951 | 29th | Petone | Labour | |
| 1951–1954 | 30th | Petone | Labour | |
| 1954–1957 | 31st | Petone | Labour | |
| 1957–1960 | 32nd | Petone | Labour | |
| 1960–1963 | 33rd | Petone | Labour | |
| 1963–1966 | 34th | Petone | Labour | |
| 1966–1967 | 35th | Petone | Labour | |
Moohan was elected the Member of Parliament for Petone from 1946 and served until 1967, when he died.[4] From 1947 to 1949 he was Under-Secretary to the Prime Minister.[5] Moohan was a critic of the leadership of Walter Nash 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.[6]
He was the Minister of Railways in the Second Labour Government from 1957 to 1960.[7] Despite his cabinet ranking, Moohan was one of a group of three Labour MPs (the others being Bill Fox and Frank Kitts) who were deeply critical of the decisions made in the "Black Budget".[8]
During this time he also served as the Labour Party's President between 1955 and 1960.[9]
Moohan Rocket
On 16 February 1960 a special ministerial train dubbed the Moohan Rocket made a trip from Wellington to Auckland on the North Island Main Trunk, taking 11 hours and 45 minutes, or 2½ hours less than the steam-hauled Night Limited. As the train of a brake van, three first-class cars and a Ministerial car at the rear only weighed 147 tons, and was hauled by two DG class locomotives, the time was somewhat disappointing. The return trip two days later behind a single DA locomotive was slightly quicker at 11 hours and 34 minutes, though the superior DA could not then run through the tunnels north of Wellington and the two DGs took over at Palmerston North. The train reflected Moohan’s idea of a fast and comfortable intercity service later seen in the Silver Star and Silver Fern.
Death
Moohan died on 7 February 1967, and was buried at Taitā Lawn Cemetery.[1]
Notes
- 1 2 "New Zealand, cemetery records, 1800–2007". Ancestry.com Operations. 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2015. (Subscription required (help)).
- ↑ Paul 1946, pp. 117.
- ↑ Paul 1946, pp. 118.
- ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 221.
- ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 84.
- ↑ Logan 2008, p. 280-1.
- ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 88.
- ↑ Freer 2004, p. 103.
- ↑ Brown 1962, pp. 224.
References
- Paul, J.T. (1946). Humanism in Politics: New Zealand Labour Party in Retrospect. Wellington, NZ: New Zealand Worker Printing and Publishing.
- Brown, Bruce (1962). The Rise of New Zealand Labour: A history of the New Zealand Labour Party. Wellington: Price Milburn.
- Rail: The Great New Zealand Adventure by Roy Sinclair (1987, Grantham House Wellington) ISBN 1-86934-013-2 (Moohan Rocket, page 82)
- Who's Who in New Zealand (1961, 7th edition)
- Freer, Warren (2004). A Lifetime in Politics: the memoirs of Warren Freer. Wellington: Victoria University Press. ISBN 0-86473-478-6.
- Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
- Logan, Mary (2008). Nordy, Arnold Nordmeyer a political biography. Wellington: Steele Roberts Publishers. ISBN 978-1-877448-33-1.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by John McAlpine |
Minister of Railways 1957–1960 |
Succeeded by John McAlpine |
| Preceded by Tom Shand |
Postmaster-General and Minister of Telegraphs 1957–1960 |
Succeeded by Thomas Hayman |
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Petone 1946–1967 |
Succeeded by Fraser Colman |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Arnold Nordmeyer |
President of the Labour Party 1955–1960 |
Succeeded by Martyn Finlay |
| Preceded by David Wilson |
Secretary of the Labour Party 1940–1948 |
Succeeded by Allan McDonald |