Joseph Ward, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

    

Joseph Ward

New Zealand politician

Date of Birth: 26-Apr-1856

Place of Birth: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Date of Death: 08-Jul-1930

Profession: politician, diplomat

Nationality: New Zealand

Zodiac Sign: Taurus


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About Joseph Ward

  • Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, of Wellington, (26 April 1856 – 8 July 1930) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1906 to 1912 and from 1928 to 1930.
  • He was a dominant figure in the Liberal and United ministries of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Ward was born into an Irish Catholic family in Melbourne, Victoria.
  • In 1863, financial hardship forced his family to move to New Zealand, where he completed his education.
  • Ward established a successful grain trade in Invercargill in 1877 and soon became prominent in local politics.
  • He became a Member of Parliament in 1887.
  • Following the election of the Liberal Government in 1891, Ward was appointed as Postmaster-General under John Ballance; he was promoted to Minister of Finance in the succeeding ministry of Richard Seddon. Ward became Prime Minister on 6 August 1906, following Seddon's death two months earlier.
  • In his first period of government, Ward advocated greater unity within the British Empire, led New Zealand to Dominion status, and increased New Zealand's contribution to the Royal Navy.
  • His government faced strong opposition from the Reform Party and the newly-formed socialist parties.
  • He led the Liberal Party to two election victories, in 1908 and 1911, albeit with a one-seat majority in the latter.
  • He resigned as head of government on 28 March 1912. During the First World War, Ward led his party in a coalition with the Reform Party.
  • As co-leader of the government, Ward had a strained working relationship with Prime Minister William Massey.
  • The coalition was dissolved in 1919 and Ward resigned as Liberal leader. After a six-year absence from national politics, Ward returned to parliament in 1925.
  • He became Prime Minister on 10 December 1928, as leader of the United Party, which had formed from the remnants of the former Liberal Party.
  • Ward attempted to rejuvenate liberal support in New Zealand but his party lost ground to the New Zealand Labour Party.
  • Failing health forced his retirement from leadership on 28 May 1930.

Read more at Wikipedia

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