George Fowlds


Sir George Matthew Fowlds was a New Zealand politician of the Liberal Party.

Early life

Fowlds was born in Fenwick, East Ayrshire, Scotland. His father, Matthew Fowlds, was a handloom weaver and was the last surviving member of the Fenwick Weavers' Society. He lived to be 101 years old. As a boy, George Fowlds weaved linen sheets. He attended Hairshaw School in Waterside. He did his apprenticeship at a clothier in Kilmarnock, and later worked in Glasgow, where he attended night classes at Anderson's College.
Fowlds emigrated to South Africa in 1882 and lived in Cape Town, Beaufort West, and Bultfontein. In 1884, he married Mary Ann Fulton, who was also from Fenwick. In the following year, they moved to Auckland, New Zealand, as the South African climate was detrimental to his wife's health. He built up a business as a clothier in Victoria Street.

Member of Parliament

In the, Fowlds stood in the three-member electorate and came seventh. Fowlds represented the City of Auckland electorate from 1899 to 1902, and then the Grey Lynn electorate from 1902 to 1911.
In 1905 Fowlds decided to return to Scotland for his father's 100th birthday. He decided he needed a New Zealand passport when his ship was about to leave, though they were not then usually required for overseas travel; an inconvenience to the department, and to the Governor who then personally signed each New Zealand passport.
In 1911, Fowlds introduced the Proportional Representation And Effective Voting Bill. However, this bill failed to be passed into law.

Independent Liberal

Though critical of some of the policies of Premier Richard Seddon, Fowlds did not support the New Liberal Party in 1905. He was "in favour of the referendum and an elective Executive".
Fowlds was Minister of Education and Minister of Public Health from 1906 to 1911. He resigned from Cabinet in September 1911 so he could remain a private member until there was "a truly democratic party in a position to form a government".
Fowlds stood as an Independent Liberal Labour candidate for Grey Lynn in the 1911 election. At the next contest in 1914 he was under the United Labour Party banner. But, in 1919, he was again a Liberal.

Death and legacy

Fowlds was made a CBE in 1919 and knighted in 1928. He was the first chairman of Massey Agricultural College from 1927 to 1934. He died on 17 August 1934 at Auckland and was survived by his wife.
The personal papers of Sir George Fowlds are housed in at the University of Auckland Library. The extensive collection covers political, personal, business and social matters and includes letters, newspaper clippings, speech drafts, articles, sermons, accounts books, photographs and cartoons.
Fowlds Park was named after him in 1933.

Works of Fowlds

Works about Fowlds