George Black (New Zealand politician)

{{Infobox officeholder

|honorific-prefix =

|name = George Black

|honorific-suffix =

|image = George Charles Cecil Black.jpg

|caption =

|constituency_MP = Motueka

|parliament = New Zealand

|majority =

|term_start = 14 November 1928

|term_end = 17 October 1932

|predecessor = Richard Hudson

|successor = Keith Holyoake

|birth_date = {{Birth date|1903|11|21|df=y}}

|birth_place = Reefton, New Zealand

|death_date = {{Death date and age|1932|10|17|1903|11|21|df=y}}

|death_place = Makara, New Zealand

|restingplace =

|restingplacecoordinates =

|birthname = George Charles Cecil Black

|party = United

|otherparty =

|spouse =

|relations =

|children =

|residence =

|alma_mater =

|occupation =

|profession =

|cabinet =

|committees =

|portfolio =

|religion =

|signature =

|website =

|footnotes =

}}

George Charles Cecil Black (21 November 1903 – 17 October 1932) was a member of the House of Representatives for {{NZ electorate link|Motueka}} electorate, in the South Island of New Zealand, initially as a representative of the United Party and from early 1931 as an Independent. He committed suicide and was succeeded as MP by Keith Holyoake.

Early life

Born in Reefton on 21 November 1903, Black was the son of George James and Marianne Catherine Black.{{cite web |url=https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/search/search?path=%2FqueryEntry.m%3Ftype%3Dbirths |title=Birth index: registration number 1903/11744 |date= |website=Births, deaths & marriages online |publisher=Department of Internal Affairs |access-date=10 January 2018}} In 1923, Black became a Parliamentary Clerk of Committees.{{cite news |title=The Next Parliament |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=NZH19281115.2.67 |access-date=25 November 2014 |work=The New Zealand Herald |volume=LXV |issue=20104 |date=15 November 1928 |page=13}}

Member of Parliament

{{NZ parlbox

|start={{NZ election link year|1928}}

|end=1931

|term=23rd

|electorate=Motueka

|party=United Party (New Zealand)

}}

{{NZ parlbox allegiance

|start=1931

|party=Independent politician

}}

{{NZ parlbox

|start={{NZ election link year|1931}}

|end=1932

|term=24th

|electorate=Motueka

|party=Independent politician

}}

Black represented the Motueka electorate in the House of Representatives from 1928 to 1932.

In the 1928 election, aged only 24, he stood as a United Party candidate and follower of Sir Joseph Ward and was successful.{{cite book |page=184 |last= Wilson |first= James Oakley |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 |edition= 4th |orig-year=First published in 1913 |year= 1985 |publisher=V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer |location= Wellington |oclc= 154283103}} He unexpectedly beat the Reform Party incumbent of 14 years,{{cite news |last1=Stade |first1=Karen |title=Kiwi Keith - Portrait of a PM |url= http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/lifestyle-entertainment/weekend/9030306/Kiwi-Keith-Portrait-of-a-PM |access-date=25 November 2014 |work=The Nelson Mail |date=12 August 2013}} Richard Hudson, and became the youngest MP at the time. He was appointed junior whip by the United Party.

In Parliament, Black refused to support the Finance Bill that proposed cuts to public service salaries and voted with the Labour Party,{{cite news |title=More Heat |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19310331.2.67 |access-date=24 November 2014 |work=The Evening Post |volume=CXI |issue=76 |date=31 March 1931 |page=10}} and in January 1931 he also opposed the decision to suspend construction of the Kawatiri–Inangahua railway line that ran through his electorate.{{cite news|url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ESD19310115.2.97|title=Railway Policy|publisher=The Evening Star|date=15 January 1931|access-date=11 October 2019}}{{citation |title = New Zealand Parliamentary Debates |volume = 227 |page = 277}} Black was expelled from the United Party the day after voting against the Finance Bill in March 1931, saying that "no genuine supporter of the late Prime Minister", Sir Joseph Ward, could uphold such measures.{{cite news |title=Expelled by Party |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19310321.2.68 |access-date=25 November 2014 |work=The Evening Post |volume=CXI |issue=68 |date=21 March 1931 |page=10}}

Later in the year, at the 1931 election, the bright and well-regarded local MP was elected as an independent. He was associated with Harry Atmore, the independent MP for the neighbouring Nelson electorate.{{Cite thesis |first = Simon |last = Courtney |title = Harry Atmore: Independent in Politics |type=BA Hons Research Paper |date=n.d. |publisher=University of Canterbury |page = 3}}

On 17 October 1932 aged 28, Black committed suicide with cyanide poison at Mākara Beach.{{cite news |title=Obituary |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19321018.2.107 |work=The Evening Post |volume=CXIV |issue=94 |page=11 |date=18 October 1932 |access-date=15 August 2011}}{{cite news |title=Death by Poisoning |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19321026.2.83 |work=The Evening Post |volume=CXIV |issue=101 |page=10 |date=26 October 1932 |access-date=15 August 2011}} He was survived by his wife and their child. The coroner found that Black had been mentally unstable for some months, and was also in financial difficulties.

Black's death triggered the 1932 Motueka by-election, which was won by Keith Holyoake.{{cite news |title=Nelson and Motueka |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19351021.2.132 |access-date=24 November 2014 |work=The Evening Post |volume=CXX |issue=97 |date=21 October 1935 |page=11}}