Profession Trade unionist | ||
 | ||
Political party Social Democratic (1913–16)
Labour (1916–42) Died 14 September 1942, Wellington, New Zealand Political parties New Zealand Labour Party (1916–1942), Social Democratic Party (1913–1916) | ||
John Read JP (1874 – 14 September 1942) was a New Zealand politician and trade unionist.
Contents
Early life
Born in Clifton, a coal mining town on the hinterlands of Manchester in 1874, Read started work in a mine himself at the age of 12.
Read and his wife sailed to New Zealand in 1901 settling in Wellington, where he found work as a trade unionist. He became secretary of the Wellington Engine Drivers' Union, later secretary of the Engine Drivers' Federation, and finally from 1917 until his retirement he was the secretary of the Wellington Timber Workers' Union. In 1923 he was made a Justice of the Peace at the request of the Trades Council.
Political career
Read was a member of the Advisory Committee of the Social Democratic Party from 1915 to 1916. He joined the Labour Party upon the SDP's merger into it. He stood as Labour's candidate for Mayor of Wellington in the 1919 election, but was beaten by incumbent John Luke.
He stood for the Wellington North electorate in the New Zealand House of Representatives in 1919 for the Labour Party where he placed last out of three candidates in a tight race.
Following the death of Wellington City Councillor William Bennett of the Civic League (also the Deputy Mayor), Read won the resulting by-election, beating former city councillor and MP Thomas Forsyth. Read remained a member of the city council until 1938. He had stood for election many times previously but had been unsuccessful.
Death
Read died in 1942. He was survived by his wife, one daughter, and two grandchildren.