Henry Edmund (Harry) Holland (10 June 1868 - 8 October 1933) was a New Zealand politician and unionist. He was the first leader of the New Zealand Labour Party. June 10 is the 161st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (162nd in leap years), with 204 days remaining. ... 1868 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... October 8 is the 281st day of the year (282nd in leap years). ... 1933 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... Current Labour Party logo The New Zealand Labour Party formed as a political party in 1916, bringing together socialist groups advocating proportional representation and the Recall of Members of Parliament, as well as the nationalisation of production and of exchange. ...

Early life

Holland was born near Queanbeyan, a town in New South Wales located quite close to modern Canberra. Initially, he worked on his parents' farm, but later was apprenticed as a compositor for the Queanbeyan Times. Holland did not receive an extensive education, but developed an enthusiasm for reading. He also became highly religious, joining the Salvation Army. The town of Queanbeyan in New South Wales, Australia is overshadowed by its proximity to the Australian federal capital city of Canberra. ... Motto: Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites (Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine) Nickname: Premier State Other Australian states and territories Capital Sydney Government Governor Premier Const. ... Two of Canberras best-known landmarks, Parliament House and (foreground) Old Parliament House. ... The Salvation Army is a Christian denomination, a charity and a social services organization. ...

In 1887, Holland left Queanbeyan to work in Sydney. Shortly afterwards, on 6 October 1888, he married Annie McLachlan, who he had met at a Salvation Army meeting. The two were to have five sons and three daughters. In 1890, however, Holland found himself unemployed, putting the family in a poor financial position. Holland left the Salvation Army at this point, believing that its response to poverty was inadequate. He remained, however, quite strongly religious. Gradually, his political views became attuned to socialism, although this was probably more an emotional decision than a theoretical one — Holland was deeply dedicated to the elimination of poverty, but had little use for complicated economic models. 1887 is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ... Sydneys skyline with the Opera House on the left Sydney is the capital city of the Australian state of New South Wales and Australias largest and oldest city, founded in 1788. ... October 6 is the 279th day of the year (280th in Leap years). ... 1888 is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). ... 1890 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... The color red and particularly the red flag are traditional symbols of Socialism. ...

Political activity in Australia

Holland joined the small Australian Socialist League in 1892. Later, he and a friend began to publish a socialist journal — in 1896, he was convicted of libelling the superintendent of the New South Wales Labour Bureau, and served three months in prison. Upon his release, the journal was moved to Newcastle for a time, but eventually returned to Sydney. 1892 was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1896 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia, is an industrial port city 160km north of Sydney, on the mouth of the Hunter River. ...

In 1901, Holland stood as a candidate for the Australian Senate and the state seat of Lang. He was standing for the Socialist Labor Party, having rejected the Labor Party as too moderate. He did not make any significant impression. Later, in 1907, he stood in the New South Wales state elections, but was caught up in strong infighting between socialist groups. Holland had acquired a reputation of arrogance and egotism, and was convinced beyond all doubt that his views were correct. 1901 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Australian Senate chamber The Australian Senate is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia. ... The Australian Labor Party or ALP is Australias oldest political party. ... 1907 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

In 1909, Holland was convicted of sedition, having advocated violent revolution against capitalism during the miners' strike at Broken Hill. He was jailed for two years. He received little sympathy from the socialist movement, which considered his actions during the strike to be provokation and posturing. This embittered Holland considerably, and he suffered from serious depression. 1909 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Broken Hill is an isolated mining city and Local Government Area in the far west of outback New South Wales, Australia, with a population of 21,000. ...

In 1912, after his release from jail, Holland soon found himself in trouble with the law again. This time, it resulted from his refusal to register his son for compulsory military training. Rather than pay a fine, Holland left Australia and travelled to New Zealand, accepting an invitation from the Waihi branch of the New Zealand Socialist Party. 1912 is a leap year starting on Monday. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Waihi is a town in the North Island of New Zealand. ...

Political activity in New Zealand

Waihi

At the time of Holland's arrival, Waihi was descending into chaos. A bitter miners' strike, the most significant industrial action that New Zealand had yet seen, was underway, and the conservative government of William Massey was responding with strong measures. The strike eventually led to the death of a miner in a shoot-out with police. Holland was encouraged by the strike, believing that it was the beginning of "class war" against capitalism. This view was not shared, however, by the New Zealand Socialist Party, which, when the strike broke out, had actually asked Holland not to come to Waihi. The New Zealand socialists, for the most part, saw socialism as a means to an end, and distrusted Holland's view that socialism was a goal in and of itself. Many New Zealand socialists resented Holland's arrogance, seeing him as a self-opinionated outsider meddling in a precarious situation that he did not fully understand. William Ferguson Massey (often known simply as Bill Massey) served as Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1912 to 1925, and was the founder of the Reform Party. ...

Moderation

Gradually, however, Holland's militancy decreased. His co-authorship of a tract on the Waihi strike gained him a certain amount of prestige, as did his editorship of the Federation of Labour's newspaper. In 1913, a candidate of the Social Democratic Party (which the Socialist Party had merged into) was elected to Parliament with backing from the mainstream Liberal Party, and Holland was happy — at one stage, he would have condemned co-operation with any non-socialist organisation. Holland himself, however, still ran into difficulties with the law. In the 1913 waterfront dispute, he was charged with sedition, and served time in jail. This time, however, he was widely seen as a martyr, and gained considerable support. 1913 is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... The Social Democratic Party of New Zealand was an early left-wing political party. ... This article is about the original New Zealand Liberal Party. ...

Labour Party

With the gradual unification of the labour movement in New Zealand, the (second) Labour Party was founded in 1916. Holland was one of the founding members, although his opinions about the direction of the party were not identical to some of the party's other leaders. Holland believed that the Labour Party would lay the foundations for socialism, while the more moderate members of the party simply wanted to improve the wages and conditions of workers. Current Labour Party logo The New Zealand Labour Party formed as a political party in 1916, bringing together socialist groups advocating proportional representation and the Recall of Members of Parliament, as well as the nationalisation of production and of exchange. ... 1916 is a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar) Events January-February January 1 -The first successful blood transfusion using blood that had been stored and cooled. ...

In 1918, Paddy Webb was jailed for refusing military service. Holland stood in the resulting by-election to replace him, and was narrowly elected. This was Holland's first electoral victory, and he was delighted with it. Other members of the party were less enthusiastic, however — Holland's majority was far lower than Webb's had been. Holland dismissed this, saying that his victory, unlike Webb's, had been for pure socialism rather than mere reform. 1918 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... A by-election or bye-election is a special election held to fill a political office when the incumbent has died or resigned. ...

After the 1919 elections, the first contested by the Labour party as a united bloc, Holland narrowly defeated the moderate James McCombs for the parliamentary leadership of the party, becoming Labour's first leader in the modern sense. Most historians see his victory as being due to his public profile rather than to his policies, which many in the Labour Party considered too extreme. In Parliament, Holland was not a particularly strong performer. His aggressive oratory, while suitable for speeches, tended to oversimplify issues, and Holland was frequently criticised in Parliamentary debates as an impractical idealogue. Holland's opponents successfully characterised him as applying simplistic doctrines to complicated issues, and of failing to look at a problem from all sides.

As the Great Depression took hold, however, Holland began to doubt some of his convictions. At first, Holland had believed that the Depression marked the beginning of the end for capitalism, but as the economic problems continued, and many workers were cast into poverty, Holland began to question whether his theories were capable of solving the crisis. Suffering from depression, exhaustion, and ill health, Holland began to withdraw from the activities of leadership. Talk of a possible challenge to his leadership appeared, but there was not yet any willingness for an open confrontation. --209. ...

Death

In 1933, Holland unexpectedly died of a heart attack, attending the funeral of Te Rata Mahuta in Huntley. He was given a state funeral, and hailed by his friends as a "compassionate champion of the common people". His successor, the moderate Michael Joseph Savage, went on to lead the Labour Party to victory in the 1935 elections. 1933 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... A myocardial infarction occurs when an atherosclerotic plaque slowly builds up in the inner lining of a coronary artery and then suddenly ruptures, totally occluding the artery and preventing blood flow downstream. ... For Huntley in Gloucestershire, England, see Huntley, Gloucestershire. ... A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony held to honor heads of state or other important people of national significance. ... Michael Joseph Savage (March 23, 1872 - March 27, 1940) was a New Zealand politician and the first Labour Prime Minister of New Zealand. ... The 1935 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliaments 25th term. ...