Richard Seddon
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| Personal Details | |
| Birth: | 22 June 1845 in St Helens, England |
| Death: | 10 June 1906 at sea |
| Marriage: | 1869, to Louisa Jane Spotswood |
| Children: | Nine |
| Religion: | Anglican |
| Background: | Miner, Publican |
| Political Details | |
| Electorates: | Hokitika, Kumara, West Coast |
| Order: | 15th Prime Minister |
| Political Party: | Liberal |
| Premiership | |
| Predecessor: | John Ballance |
| Term of Office: | 27 April 1893 to 10 June 1906 |
| Duration: | 13 years, 1 month, 14 days |
| Cause of Departure: | Death |
| Successor: | William Hall-Jones |
Richard John Seddon (1845 - 1906), sometimes known as King Dick, was the longest serving Prime Minister of New Zealand. He is regarded by some as New Zealand's greatest political leader.
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Early life
Seddon was born in St Helens in Lancashire in 1845. His father was a school headmaster, and his mother was a teacher. Despite this background, Seddon did not perform well at school, and was described as unruly. Despite his parents' attempt to give him a classical education, Seddon developed an interest in engineering, but was removed from school at age twelve. After a short time working on his grandfather's farm, Seddon held various jobs at foundries in Liverpool.
When he was eighteen he emigrated to Australia, and entered the railway workshops at Melbourne. He was caught by the gold fever and went to Bendigo, where he spent some time in the diggings. He did not meet with any great success. In either 1865 or 1866, he became engaged to Louisa Jane Spotswood, but her family would not permit marriage until Seddon was more financially secure.
In 1866, Seddon moved to New Zealand's West Coast. Initially, he worked the goldfields in Waimea. He is believed to have prospered here, and he returned briefly to Melbourne to marry Louisa. He established a store, and then expanded his business to include the sale of alcohol, becoming a publican.
Local politics
Seddon's first real involvement with politics was with various local bodies, such as the Arahura Road Board. He was later elected to the council of Westland Province, representing Arahura. Gradually, Seddon became known along the West Coast as an advocate for miners' rights and interests, and he was frequently consulted over various political issues.
In 1877, Seddon was elected as the first Mayor of Kumara, which was to become a prominent goldmining town. He had staked a claim in Kumara the previous year, and had shortly afterwards moved his business there. Despite occasional financial troubles (he filed for bankruptcy in 1878), his political career prospered.
Entry to Parliament
Seddon first sought election to the New Zealand Parliament in the 1876 elections, standing for the seat of Hokitika. He was unsuccessful. In the 1879 elections, he tried again, and was elected.
In Parliament, Seddon aligned himself with George Grey, a former Governor turned Premier. Seddon later claimed to be particularly close to Grey, although some historians believe that this was an invention for political purposes. Initially, Seddon was derided by many members of Parliament, who mocked his "provincial" accent (which tended to drop the letter "h") and his lack of formal education. He nevertheless proved quite effective in Parliament, being particularly good at "stonewalling" certain legislation. His political focus remained largely confined to the West Coast, and he had little interest in most other matters.
Liberal Party
Seddon's first ministerial position was obtained when the Liberal Party, led by John Ballance, came to power in 1891. (He may or may not have been offered various ministerial positions prior to this — if he was, he did not accept them.)
Unlike Ballance, Seddon did not have any great commitment to philosophical liberalism — or, for that matter, to any ideology. Rather, he saw the Liberals as champions of "the common man" against large commercial interests and major landowners. His strong advocacy for what he saw as the interests of ordinary New Zealanders won him considerable popularity. Attacks by the opposition, which generally focused on his lack of education and sophistication (one opponent said of him that he was only "partially civilized") tended only to reinforce his new reputation as an enemy of elitism.
Seddon quickly became popular across the country. Some of his colleagues, however, were not as happy, accusing him of putting populism ahead of priciple, and of being an anti-intellectual. John Ballance, now Premier, had a deep commitment to liberal causes such as women's suffrage and Maori rights, which Seddon was not always as enthusiastic about. Nevertheless, many people in the Liberal Party believed that Seddon's popularity was a huge asset for the party, and Seddon developed a substantial following.
Premiership
In 1893, Ballance suddenly fell ill and died. Seddon, acting quickly, managed to secure the backing of his Liberal Party colleagues as interim leader, with an understanding being reached that a full vote would occur when Parliament resumed sitting. Seddon's most prominent challenger was Robert Stout, who — like Ballance — had a strong belief in liberal principles. Ballance himself had preferred Stout as his successor, but had died before being able to secure this aim. Despite Seddon's promise, however, there was no vote — by convincing his party colleagues that a leadership contest would split the party in two, or at least leave deep divisions, Seddon managed to secure a permanent hold on the leadership. Stout continued to be one of his strongest critics.
Style of government
Seddon was a strong premier, and enforced his authority with great vigour. At one point, he even commented that "A president is all we require", and that Cabinet could be abolished. His opponents, both within the Liberal Party and in opposition, accused him of being an autocrat — the label "King Dick" was first applied to him at this point.
Seddon was also accused of cronyism — his friends and allies, particularly those from the West Coast, were given various political positions, while his enemies within the Liberal Party were frequently denied important office. Many of Seddon's appointees were not qualified for the positions that they received — Seddon valued loyalty above ability. One account, possibly apocryphal, claims that he installed an ally as a senior civil servant despite the man being illiterate. He was also accused of nepotism — in 1905, it was claimed that one of his sons had received an unauthorised payment, but this claim was proved false.
Seddon also accumulated a large number of portfolios for himself, including that of Minister of Finance (from which he displaced Joseph Ward), Minister of Labour (from which he displaced William Pember Reeves), Minister of Education, Minister of Defence, Minister of Native Affairs, and Minister of Immigration. As Minister of Native Affairs, Seddon took a generally "sympathetic" but "paternalistic" approach. As Minister of Immigration, he was well-known for his hostility to Chinese immigration — the so-called "Yellow Peril" was an important part of his populist rhetoric, and he compared Chinese people to monkeys.
Policy
One of the policies for which Seddon is most remembered is his Old-age Pensions Act of 1898, which established the basis of the welfare state built by Michael Joseph Savage and the Labour Party. The early Labour Party often claimed a certain affinity with Seddon on this basis. Seddon put considerable weight behind the scheme, despite considerable opposition from many quarters. Its successful passage is often seen as a testament to Seddon's political power and influence. Other "leftist" programs attributed to Seddon include pensions for teachers and moves to improve housing for workers.
Seddon's most notable failure to have his way, by contrast, was over the issue of women's suffrage. John Ballance, founder of the Liberal Party, had been a strong supporter of voting rights for women, declaring his belief in the "absolute equality of the sexes". Seddon, however, opposed women's suffrage. This resulted in considerable debate within the Liberal Party. Eventually, Seddon's opponents within the party managed to gather enough support for a women's suffrage bill to be passed despite Seddon's hostility. When Seddon realised that the passage of the bill was inevitable, he changed his position, claiming to accept the people's will. In actuality, however, he took strong measures to ensure that the Legislative Council would veto the bill, as it had done previously. Seddon's tactics in lobbying the Council were seen by many as underhand, and two Councillors, despite opposing suffrage, voted in favour of the bill in protest.
In the sphere of foreign policy, Seddon was a notable supporter of the British Empire. After he attended the Colonial Conference in London in 1897, he became known "as one of the pillars of British imperialism", and he was a strong supporter of the Boer War and of preferential trade between British colonies. He is also noted for his support of New Zealand's own "imperial" designs — Seddon believed that New Zealand should play a major role in the Pacific Islands as a "Britain of the South". Seddon's plans focused mainly on establishing New Zealand dominion over Fiji and Samoa, but in the end, only the Cook Islands came under New Zealand's control during his reign. (Samoa later came under New Zealand rule as well, but Fiji did not).
Death
Seddon remained Prime Minister for thirteen years, but gradually, calls for him to retire became more frequent. Various attempts to replace him with Joseph Ward met with failure. Seddon himself eventually indicated a willingness to retire after a Colonial Conference in 1907. While returning from a trip to Australia, however, Seddon was suddenly taken ill, and died. He was buried in Wellington, with his grave being marked by a large monument. He has a statue outside Parliament Buildings.