David McLaren

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David McLaren (1872 – 1939) was a Mayor of Wellington and Member of Parliament in New Zealand.

Contents 1 Early years 2 Member of Parliament 3 Independent 4 Further reading

[edit] Early years

Born in Scotland, McLaren was involved with the watersiders union in New Zealand.

He was a member of the Wellington City Council for eleven years from 1901 to 1912 and was elected Mayor of Wellington in 1912.

[edit] Member of Parliament

David McLaren won the seat of Wellington East in 1908 on the second ballot, for the Independent Political Labour League (IPLL). In 1911 he was defeated by the Conservative candidate, Alfred Newman, by 65 votes. At the 1914 contest, McLaren was again unsuccessful (this time by 48 votes).

[edit] Independent

McLaren became estranged from the Labour Party during World War I. He was concerned about the rise of militant elements within the party (Gustafson, p.161). McLaren organized the wartime Welfare League and through this was associated with Edward Kellett.

[edit] Further reading

• Labour's Path to Political Independence: the Origins and Establishment of the NZ Labour Party 1900-1919 by Barry Gustafson (1980, Oxford University Press, Auckland)
• New Zealand Parliamentary Record 1840-1984 by J. O. Wilson (1985, Government Printer, Wellington)
• No Mean City by Stuart Perry (1969, Wellington City Council) includes a paragraph and a portrait or photo for each mayor