Alexander Harris (New Zealand politician) explained

Alexander Harris (1878 – 24 August 1952) was a Member of Parliament for the electorate in Auckland, New Zealand.

Birth and education

He was born in London in 1878, and educated at Dulwich College, London.^{[1] [2]}

Member of Parliament

Alexander Harris represented Waitemata in the House of Representatives for 24 years from 1911 to 1935.

Independent

In July 1927, Alex Harris publicly stated that he wanted more "freedom of action" and announced that he had "no intention of attending any caucuses of the Reform Party".^[3]

Harris and his colleague, Vivian Potter, were opposed to Gordon Coates and his moves to introduce public ferries and buses to compete with private enterprise in Auckland; an approach they regarded as "socialist". In retaliation, Coates removed Harris from his position as Chairman of the Commerce Select Committee.

References

• Book: Bassett, Michael . Coates of Kaipara . Michael Bassett . 1995 . Auckland University Press . Auckland.
• Book: Wilson, James Oakley . New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 . 4th . First published in 1913 . 1985 . V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer . Wellington . 154283103 .
• Book: Wood . G. Anthony . Ministers and Members: In the New Zealand Parliament . 1996 . Otago University Press . Dunedin.

Notes and References

1. The Evening Post (Wellington) 26 August 1952
2. The Daily Telegraph (Napier) 26 August 1952
3. News: Straying from Party . 5 December 2014 . . LXIV . 19677 . 1 July 1927 . 10.