William Denham

William Mortimer Clarence Denham (August 1888 – 21 September 1969) was a New Zealand Labour Party politician. Born in Sydney, Australia, he moved to New Zealand in 1907 and settled in Invercargill, where he worked as a farmer and tramway worker. He served as an employee representative on the Tramways Appeal Board for 12 years. Denham began his political career in local government, elected to the Invercargill City Council in 1928 and serving on the Southland Technical College Board. He first stood for Parliament in 1928 in the Awarua electorate, placing third, and later contested the Invercargill electorate unsuccessfully in 1931. He won the seat in 1935 and represented it until his defeat in 1946. He attempted to regain it in 1949 and 1954 but was unsuccessful. During his parliamentary career, Denham advocated for state housing and legislated for the establishment of the Invercargill Licensing Trust in 1944. He also supported a special fund for writers, leading to the creation of the Literary Grants Advisory Board. A strong supporter of John A. Lee, he remained loyal during Lee’s expulsion from the Labour Party but did not join Lee’s Democratic Labour Party. In 1947, Denham ran for Invercargill mayor against Abraham Wachner, losing by 997 votes. Later, he opposed New Zealand’s 1960 rugby tour of South Africa due to the exclusion of Māori players, criticizing Prime Minister Walter Nash for his stance on the issue. Denham later became chairman of the Invercargill Savings Bank and died in 1969 at age 81. ...