1925 Reform Party (New Zealand) leadership election

Election in New Zealand April 2024 July 2023 1925 Reform Party leadership election New Zealand presidential no 1936 New Zealand National Party leadership election 1936 (Nat) 27 May 1925 130x130px Gordon Coates ≥19 00BB00 130x130px William Nosworthy <19 00BB00 Leader Leader after election Sir Francis Bell (acting) Gordon Coates An election for the leadership of the Reform Party was held on 27 May 1925 to choose the next leader of the party. The election was won by Kaipara MP and cabinet minister Gordon Coates. Background After an inconclusive result at the 1922, the Reform Party government was reliant on several independent MPs to maintain power. Prime Minister William Massey had been in bad health and was progressively weakened by cancer during most of 1924 and by October of that year he was forced to relinquish many of his duties. He had an operation on 30 March 1925 which was unsuccessful and he died of cancer on 10 May 1925.Gustafson Barry 2m39 Massey, William Ferguson 10 December 2011 Barry Gustafson Immediately after Massey's death the press began speculating as to his successor.Bassett 1995 90 The parliament was not then in session and the Reform Party had no clearly designated leadership successor. Massey had probably advised the Governor-General, Sir Charles Fergusson, to call on Sir Francis Bell as he had been acting Prime Minister before and, at 74 years of age, had no personal political ambitions. Bell was sworn in on 14 May and became caretaker Prime Minister. Bell ruled himself out as a permanent leader and made a point of scrupulously avoiding from any activity or decisions not of a stop-gap nature. His declination left the field open for the Reform Party caucus to freely choose a new leader.Gardner William James 2b16 Bell, Francis Henry Dillon – Biography 29 September 2012 Candidates Several candidates were named as possibilities to succeed Massey as party leader:https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WHDT19250521.2.26.1 Selection of the New Leader - Reform Party's Caucus Waihi Daily Telegraph 21 May 1925 XXII 7217 3 Sir Francis Bell Bell was a member of the Legislative Council who was the party's most senior cabinet minister. At Massey's death he was Attorney-General and Minister of External Affairs. He became a stop-gap leader of the party and was sworn in by the Governor-General as Prime Minister until the party could select a permanent leader. While acting Prime Minister during Massey's illness Bell entertained the possibility of putting himself forward for the party leadership, but by April 1925 he thought his age (at 74) was against him and it would be better for the party to have a younger leader who sat in the House of Representatives rather than the Legislative Council.Bassett 1995 90 Despite Bell ruling himself out, there was speculation he might be persuaded to stand at least to remain leader in the short term and appoint someone to take charge of Government business in the House of Representatives. Gordon Coates The 47-year-old Gordon Coates had been the MP for Kaipara since 1911 and had been a cabinet minister since 1919. He had served in some senior portfolios including Minister of Justice, Postmaster-General and Minister of Native Affairs. An accomplished and personable man, he was not ideologically committed any particular philosophy, and by 1925 Coates had been singled out by many colleagues as the natural successor to the ailing Massey.Bassett Michael 3c24 Coates, Joseph Gordon – Biography 26 July 2023 Michael Bassett Ahead of the caucus meeting he was considered the press and MPs as the heavy favourite to win.Bassett 1995 92 Alex McLeod The MP for Wairarapa since 1919, Alex McLeod, was a more recent addition to the cabinet. Since 1924 he had been Minister of Lands.http://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19381021.2.110 Obituary The Evening Post 21 October 1938 CXXVI 97 10 William Nosworthy William Nosworthy had been the MP for Ashburton since 1908. In 1912 he became Reform's junior whip. Since 1919 he had been a member of the cabinet and was both Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Immigration.https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NA19460926.2.84 Sir W. Nosworthy - Obituary The Northern Advocate 26 September 1946 6 William Downie Stewart Jr A writer as well as a politician William Downie Stewart Jr had been the MP for Dunedin West since 1914. Despite suffering from crippling rheumatoid arthritis he was persuaded to enter cabinet in 1921 and was serving as Minister of Internal Affairs, Minister of Customs and Minister of Industries and Commerce. He was out of the country when Massey died, seeking medical treatment in New York. The decision being made in his absence, but it was thought unlikely that his health would have allowed him to fully undertake the role of Prime Minister.Dale Stephanie 3S35 Stewart, William Downie - Biography 30 December 2011 Result A caucus meeting was held in the afternoon of 27 May 1925. Gisborne MP Douglas Lysnar and Stewart (who was still overseas) were the only absences. Bell chaired the meeting which began at 2:30pm and an hour long discussion ensued regarding leadership of the party. The meeting was informed that Stewart had cabled from New York that he did not wish to be a candidate. McLeod, having realised he had no chance of winning, also withdrew from consideration.Bassett 1995 92 Two names were nominated, those of Coates and Nosworthy. A ballot was held which resulted in Coates winning a majority. An independent MP who supported Reform, Allen Bell, also attended and cast a vote in the ballot.https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19250528.2.49.1 New Leader of the Reform Party The Press 28 May 1925 LXI 18393 8 The precise result was not revealed by the scrutineer (Bell), but was thought to have been a decisive margin.Bassett 1995 92 Aftermath News of the result came as no surprise to the press in their reports of the result.Bassett 1995 93 Soon after becoming leader Coates rejected an approach from the Liberal Party for a "fusion" of the two parties to better oppose the Labour Party. With the help of political organiser Albert Davy, Coates won a huge victory at the 1925. However his popularity declined and internal ructions in the party over policy led to Davy leaving. Davy set up a new party, the United Party, made mostly of remnants of the Liberal Party and at the 1928 Coates' government was defeated. He continued to lead the party in opposition and in 1931, after United lost support from the Labour Party who opposed their policy of retrenchment, he gave support in the house to United. United and Reform contested the 1931 election as a coalition and were re-elected, but though Reform were the larger of the two, United leader George Forbes still remained Prime Minister. The United–Reform Coalition was defeated at the 1935. Coates continued as leader of the Reform Party until 1936 when it was absorbed into the new National Party. Notes 30em References Bassett Michael Michael Bassett Coates of Kaipara 1995 Auckland University Press Auckland 1-86940-117-4 Reform Party leadership Reform Category:Reform Party (New Zealand) Reform Party Category:May 1925 in Oceania