Bill Laney
Template:Short description Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Template:Use New Zealand English Script error: No such module "infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for conflicting parameters". William Ross Laney (4 May 1913 – 7 August 1998) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament representing the Labour Party, and Mayor of Oamaru.
Biography
Early life and career
Laney was born in 1913 in Weston.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". He graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in 1937.[1] He was also a New Zealand Universities rugby and cricket blue and later Otago rugby captain. Laney then became a teacher of agriculture at Waitaki Boys' High School.[2]
Political career
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Laney's political career began in 1951 when he was elected as a member of the Oamaru Borough Council in a by-election.[3] He was then Mayor of Oamaru for 18 years from 1956 to 1974. From 1945 until 1956 he was an executive member of the Oamaru branch of the National Party but he resigned to join the Labour Party in order to contest the mayoralty. His resignation did not endear him to the local National Party faithful.[2] This was compounded by the fact that the incumbent mayor he defeated, Michael Francis Edward Cooney, was a prominent member of the local National Party.[4]
Laney contested the Template:NZ electorate link electorate in the Template:NZ election link, and defeated the incumbent, National's Allan Dick by a 390 votes majority.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". At the next election in Template:NZ election link year, he was in turn defeated by National's Jonathan Elworthy.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Laney was described as a man of integrity not prepared to compromise his principles and opposed the influence liquor industry lobbyists had over politicians during his time as an MP.[5]
After losing his seat in Parliament Laney stood for the Oamaru mayoralty once again at the 1977 local elections, but was beaten by the deputy mayor Reginald James Denny by 1,415 votes.[6] A year later at the Template:NZ election link year election, he stood for Labour in Template:NZ electorate link (Oamaru having been abolished) where he again finished runner-up to Elworthy.
Later life and death
In 1990 he was awarded the New Zealand 1990 Commemoration Medal.[7]
Laney died on 7 August 1998 in Christchurch.[2]
Notes
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References
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- Pages with script errors
- 1913 births
- 1998 deaths
- University of Otago alumni
- Otago rugby union players
- New Zealand National Party politicians
- New Zealand Labour Party MPs
- Mayors of Oamaru
- Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
- New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates
- Unsuccessful candidates in the 1975 New Zealand general election
- Unsuccessful candidates in the 1978 New Zealand general election
- New Zealand rugby union players