Jerry Skinner

Clarence Farrington Skinner (19 January 1900 – 26 April 1962), commonly known as Jerry or Gerry Skinner, was a Labour politician from New Zealand, the third deputy prime minister of New Zealand between 1957 and 1960, and a minister from 1943 to 1949 and 1957 to 1960 in the First and Second Labour governments.

Biography Early life

Skinner was born on 19 January 1900 in Melbourne, Australia, before subsequently emigrating to New Zealand. His father was a missionary in Te Kopuru, near Hokianga.

Skinner settled in the Waitaki District and married Julia Buckley Gray of Palmerston North in 1924. They were to have two sons together, who later went into business in Westport together. Skinner established himself politically as a union leader in Westport whilst working as a carpenter by trade. He then turned his profession to farming up until the depression in the early 1930s.

He distinguished himself after being elected the president of the Inangahua Medical Association. He was instrumental in setting up a co-operative medical insurance scheme for labourers working building the Waitaki hydroelectric station alongside Andy Davidson, Arnold Nordmeyer and Gervan & Ethel McMillan. All subsequently becoming prominent members of the Labour party.

Military career Skinner served in the New Zealand Army in the Middle East during World War II. Starting out as a Sapper in the fourth reinforcements, Skinner rose to the rank of Major in the North African campaign. He was wounded in action in 1942 and was mentioned in dispatches. He was later awarded the Military Cross in 1943 for mine clearing during the First Battle of El Alamein. At night he had cleared the way for Allied tanks to launch a counterattack to an Axis breakthrough. In June 1943 he was undertaking a lecturing tour of Britain for the Ministry of Information when he was recalled to New Zealand upon receiving a promotion to cabinet because of his fine record as a soldier by Prime Minister Peter Fraser.

Member of Parliament

Skinner was a Member of Parliament from 1938 to 1962; he was MP for Motueka between 1938 and 1946 (having defeated new MP Keith Holyoake in 1938), then MP for Buller from 1946 to 1962. Early on in his career as an MP, Skinner was somewhat sympathetic to the plight of John A. Lee, but did not to support him openly. Skinner made good impressions as an MP and gained a reputation for possessing "down-to-earth Kiwi common sense".

First Labour Government Between 1943 and 1949 he held several ministries; Lands, Rehabilitation, Valuation and State Forests. As Minister of Rehabilitation he distinguished himself in the area of soldier resettlement, enabling returned servicemen to return to live and work in New Zealand following World War II.

Death Skinner attended the Anzac Day ceremony at the Wellington Cenotaph as opposition representative before returning to his home in Tākaka later in the day. He died in his sleep early the next morning, aged 62. He was survived by his second wife and two sons.

One of his sons, Terry, was the longtime secretary of Labour's Southern Buller electorate committee. After his father's death, he stood for the Labour nomination at the Buller by-election but lost out to Bill Rowling. He remained on friendly terms with Rowling and continued as secretary for many years.