James Deas (politician)

New Zealand politician

James Deas

Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for Otahuhu
In office
13 November 1954 – 27 January 1963
Preceded by| Leon Götz
Succeeded by| Bob Tizard
Personal details
Born| 1891
Leslie, Fife, Scotland
Died| 27 January 1963
Auckland, New Zealand
Political party| Labour
Children| 2

James Mackie Deas (1891 – 27 January 1963) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

## Biography

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### Early life and career

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Deas was born in Leslie, Fife, Scotland, in 1891.[1] He served in World War I as a member of the Black Watch and later worked for the Ministry of Pensions before moving to New Zealand in 1926. He settled in Papatoetoe and became a district newspaper correspondent for The New Zealand Herald.[2]

He was secretary of the Otahuhu Unemployment Committee during the Great Depression. Deas then became a publisher for several suburban newspapers in South Auckland before joining the reporting staff of The New Zealand Herald during World War II. He moved to Wellington and spent four years as a journalist in the Parliamentary Press Gallery.[1]

### Political career

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New Zealand Parliament Years  | Term  | Electorate  | Party

|
|
|

1954–1957  | 31st | Otahuhu |  | Labour
1957–1960  | 32nd | Otahuhu  |  | Labour
1960–1963  | 33rd | Otahuhu  |  | Labour

Following the war Deas moved back to Auckland and was elected Mayor of Otahuhu from 1950 to 1954. He was also a member of the Otahuhu High School Committee and chairman of the Otahuhu District School Committee. In addition he was President of the Otahuhu Free Kindergarten.[1] In 1953, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.[3]

He unsuccessfully stood as the Labour Party candidate for Otahuhu in the 1951 election. He won the Otahuhu electorate in 1954 and represented it until 1963, when he died.[4] During the Second Labour Government Deas became quite critical of Prime Minister Walter Nash in caucus, thinking him too preoccupied with matters pertaining to foreign affairs and going as far as accusing him of ignoring domestic affairs. His sentiments were shared by many other MPs.[5]

### Death

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Deas caught a severe bronchial chill in London whilst travelling from the 1962 Commonwealth Parliamentary Association conference in Lagos. He died suddenly at Middlemore Hospital on 27 January 1963, aged 71. He was survived by his wife and two sons.[1]

The resulting 1963 by-election when he died was won by Bob Tizard.[4]

## Notes

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1. ^ a b c d "Mr J. M. Deas, M.P., Dies Aged 71". The New Zealand Herald. 28 January 1963. p. 3.
2. ^ Parliamentary Debates. Vol. 335\. Wellington. 1963. p. 12.`{{cite book}}`: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
3. ^ "Coronation Medal" (PDF). Supplement to the New Zealand Gazette. No. 37\. 3 July 1953. pp. 1021–1035. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
4. ^ a b Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. pp. 192, 240. OCLC 154283103.
5. ^ Logan 2008, p. 360.

## References

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* Logan, Mary (2008). Nordy, Arnold Nordmeyer a political biography. Wellington: Steele Roberts Publishers. ISBN 978-1-877448-33-1.

New Zealand Parliament

Preceded by

Leon Götz

|  Member of Parliament for Otahuhu
1954–1963  | Succeeded by

Bob Tizard

Political offices
Preceded by

Albert Murdoch

|  Mayor of Otahuhu
1950–1954  | Succeeded by

Jack Murdoch