Harry Lake

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The Honourable
Harry Lake
31st Minister of Finance
In office
12 December 1960 – 21 February 1967
Prime MinisterKeith Holyoake
Preceded byArnold Nordmeyer
Succeeded byRobert Muldoon
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Fendalton
In office
26 November 1960 – 21 February 1967
Preceded byJack Watts
Succeeded byEric Holland
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Lyttelton
In office
1 September 1951 – 30 November 1957
Preceded byTerry McCombs
Succeeded byNorman Kirk
Personal details
Born29 September 1911
Christchurch, New Zealand
Died21 February 1967(1967-02-21) (aged 55)
Christchurch, New Zealand
Political partyNational
SpouseBeryl Bonnington
Children2
OccupationAccountant

Harry Robson Lake (29 September 1911 – 21 February 1967) was a New Zealand politician who served as Minister of Finance for six years in the second National government in the 1960s. He died of a heart attack when only 55 years old.

Biography[edit]

Early life and career[edit]

Lake was born in Christchurch in 1911. Lake was father to two children, and grandfather to three. He attended Riccarton Primary School and Christchurch West District High School. He was further educated at the University of Canterbury, gaining a bachelor's degree in commerce. He was then employed for five years at the Vacuum Oil Company before joining a firm of public accountants, in which he later became a partner. He established an accountancy practice in 1943 and then a senior partner in the firm of Lake, Glynn and Smith. He also served a term as chairman of the Christchurch branch of the Society of Accountants.[1]

In 1937 he married Beryl Bonnington with whom he had one son and one daughter. Lake was deemed medically unfit for active service in World War II. Instead he served within New Zealand as a duty officer in the Air Training Corps.[1]

For several years he was an accountancy lecturer at the University of Canterbury. Lake was also a councillor of the Canterbury Manufacturers Association. He was also a member of the Christchurch Drainage Board and was chairman of its finance committee.[1]

Political career[edit]

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate Party
1951–1954 30th Lyttelton National
1954–1957 31st Lyttelton National
1960–1963 33rd Fendalton National
1963–1966 34th Fendalton National
1966–1967 35th Fendalton National

After holding a number of roles within the National Party's administration, he stood as the party's candidate for the Riccarton seat in the 1949 election.[2] Riccarton was regarded as a "safe" Labour Party seat, and Lake was unsuccessful.[3] He was the treasurer of the Canterbury-Westland division of the National Party.[2] In the 1951 election, however, Lake won the seat of Lyttelton, which had been held by Labour for nearly forty years. While Lake held his seat in the 1954 election, he lost it in the 1957 election to Norman Kirk (who later became Prime Minister).[4]

In the 1960 election, which National won, Lake returned to Parliament as the MP for Fendalton (a safe National seat). He was immediately elevated to Cabinet by Prime Minister Keith Holyoake, becoming minister of finance. As Lake possessed no ministerial experience before this point, his immediate appointment to one of the most powerful ministerial posts was remarkable. Undoubtedly the reason for Lake's promotion was the fact he was a close friend and political confidante of Holyoake.[5] In recognition of his lack of experience, however, Lake was officially ranked only sixth in Cabinet, a lower position than a minister of finance would normally expect. He was also appointed Minister of Statistics and Minister of Revenue.[1]

Despite holding one of the most powerful political positions in the country, Lake never had a high public profile. In keeping with Holyoake's desire to maintain the status quo, Lake's tenure as minister of finance was relatively uneventful, with the primary focus being on stability. In 1964, Lake suffered his first heart attack, which reduced his energy somewhat but did not impair his ability to perform his role. In 1965 he had another heart attack, by which time he was also ailing from a kidney impairment.[1]

At the end of 1966, New Zealand encountered economic difficulties as the result of a collapse in export prices due to the end of the wool boom. Ultimately Lake did not have a chance to respond to this problem, however.[6]

Death[edit]

In February 1967 Lake returned to Christchurch to attend the funeral of his wife's uncle, where he suffered a second heart attack, and died.[7] He was survived by his wife and two children.[1]

He was succeeded as minister of finance by Robert Muldoon, and as MP for Fendalton by Eric Holland.[8]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Minister of Finance Dies Aged 55". The New Zealand Herald. 22 February 1967. p. 1.
  2. ^ a b Gustafson 1986, p. 325.
  3. ^ "The General Election, 1949". National Library. 1950. p. 4. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  4. ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 79.
  5. ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 85.
  6. ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 100.
  7. ^ Obituary in The Press (Christchurch) of 22 February 1967
  8. ^ Gustafson 1986, p. 90.

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.
  • McRobie, Alan (1989). Electoral Atlas of New Zealand. Wellington: GP Books. ISBN 0-477-01384-8.
  • Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.

External links[edit]

Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Finance
1960–1967 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Statistics
1960–1967
New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Lyttelton
1951–1957 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Fendalton
1960–1967 		Succeeded by
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