Wilfred Fortune

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The Honourable
Wilfred Fortune
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Eden
In office
27 November 1946 – 13 November 1954
Preceded byBill Anderton
Succeeded byDuncan Rae
Personal details
Born9 October 1897
Paeroa, New Zealand
Died28 February 1961
Auckland, New Zealand
Political partyNational
Alma materUniversity of Auckland
Military service
AllegianceNew Zealand Army
Rank Lieutenant Colonel
Battles/warsWorld War II

Wilfred Henry Fortune (9 October 1897 – 28 February 1961) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party.

Personal life[edit]

Fortune was born in 1897 in Paeroa. He received his education at Auckland Grammar School, the Auckland Teachers' Training College, and the University of Auckland. He obtained a B.A., a B.Com., and a diploma in social sciences. He initially worked as a teacher, then became a public secretary, and was then managing director of Young and Fortune Ltd. During World War II, he was a lieutenant colonel with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) in the Pacific.[1] Fortune died on 28 February 1961.[1]

Political career[edit]

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate Party
1946–1949 28th Eden National
1949–1951 29th Eden National
1951–1954 30th Eden National

As an Independent, he contested the 1940 by-election in the Auckland West electorate resulting from Michael Joseph Savage's death, but was beaten by Labour's Peter Carr.[1][2] He stood for National in the 1943 election, but was beaten by the incumbent, Labour's Bill Anderton, by only 14 votes. In 1941 he won a seat on the Auckland City Council, serving two terms.[3][4]

Member of parliament[edit]

Fortune was first elected to parliament at the subsequent election in 1946, when Anderton successfully stood in Auckland Central,[5] and Fortune was returned in Eden. Fortune held Eden until the 1954 election, when he was defeated for Onslow.[6] He was a member of the Executive Council from 1949 to 1954 in the First National Government.[7] In January 1950 he was appointed Minister of Police.[8]

In 1953, Fortune was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.[9] In 1955, he was granted the use of the title of "Honourable" for life, having served more than three years as a member of the Executive Council.[10]

After parliament[edit]

From 1956 until his death, he chaired the National Party in Auckland. In 1957 he won a by-election to regain a seat on the Auckland City Council.[11] His interests lay in education and health, and he was a member of the Auckland Education Board, and the Seddon Memorial Technical College Board of Governors. He was a director of the YMCA, and chaired the Auckland Central Health Camp Council.[1]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Gustafson 1986, p. 311.
  2. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 188.
  3. ^ "Electoral". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LXXVIII, no. 23973. 24 May 1941. p. 3. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  4. ^ "Local Body Elections". Vol. LXXV, no. 136. Auckland Star. 10 June 1944. p. 9. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  5. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 180.
  6. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 197.
  7. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 86.
  8. ^ "Personal". No. 27292. Otago Daily Times. 19 January 1950. p. 6. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  9. ^ Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. p. 412. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.
  10. ^ "No. 40421". The London Gazette. 1 March 1955. p. 1269.
  11. ^ "Final Figures Little Changed". The New Zealand Herald. 18 December 1957. p. 14.

References[edit]

  • Gustafson, Barry (1986). The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party. Auckland: Reed Methuen. ISBN 0-474-00177-6.
  • Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Police
1950–1954 		Succeeded by
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Eden
1946–1954 		Succeeded by
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