Jack Williams (New Zealand politician)


John Henry Williams was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

Biography

Early life

Williams was born in Lawrence, Otago on 21 December 1918. His family moved north and he was educated at Kurow. Upon completing his education he moved to the Wairarapa region and took up farming in the town of Bideford.

Political career

Williams stood unsuccessfully for the Labour Party in the and for the marginal seat.
In the and he was successful, and he represented the Wairarapa electorate from 1969 to 1975. But in the he was defeated by Ben Couch. During the middle of the 1975 election campaign he was admitted to hospital with a serious heart condition, leaving him little opportunity to campaign.
In 1974 he stood unsuccessfully for the role of Labour's junior whip. His majority in 1969 was 467 votes, and in 1972 was 1,086 votes.
He was also for many years a member of the Masterton Licensing Trust, who instructed hotels to close early on the day of his funeral as a mark of respect.

Death

He died shortly after the election, aged 56 years. A notification of Williams' death was the first message Bill Rowling received after moving in to the office of Leader of the Opposition.