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David Thomson (New Zealand politician)

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The Right Honourable
David Thomson
CMG MC ED
Thomson in 1969
23rd Minister of Defence
In office
12 December 1966 – 9 February 1972
Prime MinisterKeith Holyoake
Preceded byDean Jack Eyre
Succeeded byAllan McCready
In office
28 August 1980 – 26 July 1984
Prime MinisterRobert Muldoon
Preceded byFrank Gill
Succeeded byFrank O'Flynn
18th Minister of Tourism
In office
4 March 1967 – 12 December 1969
Prime MinisterKeith Holyoake
Preceded byRobert Muldoon
Succeeded byBert Walker
20th Minister of Police
In office
22 December 1969 – 9 February 1972
Prime MinisterKeith Holyoake
Preceded byPercy Allen
Succeeded byPercy Allen
23rd Minister of Labour
In office
7 February 1972 – 8 December 1972
Prime MinisterKeith Holyoake
Preceded byJack Marshall
Succeeded byHugh Watt
36th Minister of Immigration
In office
7 February 1972 – 8 December 1972
Prime MinisterJack Marshall
Preceded byJack Marshall
Succeeded byFraser Colman
37th Minister of Justice
In office
12 December 1975 – 13 December 1978
Prime MinisterRobert Muldoon
Preceded byMartyn Finlay
Succeeded byJim McLay
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Stratford
In office
30 November 1963 – 25 November 1978
Preceded byTom Murray
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Taranaki
In office
25 November 1978 – 14 July 1984
Preceded byIn abeyance (last held by Charles Bellringer)
Succeeded byRoger Maxwell
Personal details
Born
David Spence Thomson

(1915-11-15)15 November 1915
Stratford, New Zealand
Died25 October 1999(1999-10-25) (aged 83)
Political partyNational Party
Spouse
June Grace Adams
​
(m. 1942)​
ChildrenFour
ProfessionDairy farmer

David Spence Thomson CMG MC ED PC (14 November 1915 – 25 October 1999) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party.

Biography

[edit]

Thomson was born in Stratford, the son of former Stratford mayor Percy Thomson. He was a dairy farmer.

He served in the Army in the Middle East in World War II and was a Prisoner of War in 1942. He was awarded the Military Cross (MC) later in 1942. He married June Grace Adams in April 1942. They had one son and three daughters.[1]

In the post-war years he was chairman of Federated Farmers.[2] In 1953, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.[3]

Parliamentary career

[edit]
New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate Party
1963–1966 34th Stratford National
1966–1969 35th Stratford National
1969–1972 36th Stratford National
1972–1975 37th Stratford National
1975–1978 38th Stratford National
1978–1981 39th Taranaki National
1981–1984 40th Taranaki National

Thomson was first elected to Parliament, representing the Stratford electorate, in 1963 as a member of the National Party. He was returned for that electorate in every election until 1978, when it was disestablished. He served two terms as the Member of Parliament for Taranaki (the replacement seat) from 1978 to 1984, when he retired.

When Thomson entered Parliament, Keith Holyoake's government was in its second term. Thomson was appointed a minister in the government's third term, after the 1966 election. He initially held the roles of Minister of Defence,[4] Minister in charge of Publicity, War Pensions and Rehabilitation, and Minister Assistant to the Prime Minister. Later he was also Minister of Tourism.[5] For the government's fourth and final term, from 1969 to 1972, Thomson was Minister of Police and latterly in 1972 was Minister of Immigration.[6]

Thomson won re-election in 1972 but National was unable to form a government. He served as National's Labour and Immigration spokesperson under Jack Marshall, and as Justice, Police and Immigration spokesperson under Robert Muldoon.

National formed a new government in 1975. Thomson was Minister of Justice from 1975 to 1978[7] and Minister of Defence and Leader of the House from 1978 to 1984, when he retired.[8]

In the 1993 New Year Honours, Thomson was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, for public services.[9]

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ Who's Who in New Zealand, 8th edition 1964
  2. ^ David E. Walter: Stratford: Shakespearean Town Under The Mountain. Stratford District Council 2005. ISBN 1-877399-05-1
  3. ^ "Coronation Medal" (PDF). Supplement to the New Zealand Gazette. No. 37. 3 July 1953. pp. 1021–1035. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  4. ^ Wilson 1985, pp. 90, 94.
  5. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 90.
  6. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 91.
  7. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 94.
  8. ^ Wilson 1985, p. 240.
  9. ^ "No. 53154". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 31 December 1992. p. 29.

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.
  • Stratford District Centenary, R Habershon, (1978, Stratford District Council Centennial Committee)
[edit]
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Police
1969–1972 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Justice
1975–1978 		Succeeded by
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Stratford
1963–1978 		Constituency abolished
In abeyance
Title last held by
Charles Bellringer 		Member of Parliament for Taranaki
1978–1984 		Succeeded by
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