DEATH OF FORMER MINISTER, MR. W. LEE MARTIN

Wanganui Chronicle, 22 December 1950, Page 4

DEATH OF FORMER MINISTER, MR. W. LEE MARTIN

HAMILTON, Yesterday (P.A.).—

The death has occurred of Mr. W. Lee Martin, aged 80 years, a former Minister of AgriCulture and Member of Parliament for the Raglan electorate. The Hon. William Lee Martin was born at Oamaru in 1870, and was educated at the Waimpte High School and the Normal School, Christ-1 church. He was active in religious movements being an officer in the Salvation Army and for some years a local preacher in the Methodist Church. He joined the Labour movement in Wanganui in 1902, and was secretary of the Wanganui Painters’ Union from 1909 to 1912. He was associated with friendly societies for 40 years. Mr Martin later took up farming at Matangl and in 1926-27 was president of the Waikato provincial executive of the Farmers’ Union. He was a member of a number of school committees, of the Tamahore Road Board (of which he was for some years chairman), the Central Power Board and the Work* ers’ Educational Association. Mr. Martin contested the Hamilton seat in 1925 and was elected to Parliament as a Labour member, representing Raglan from 1927 to 1931. He again represented that electorate from 1935 to 1943 when he retired. Ho was Minister of Agriculture from 1935 to 1941. He was appointed as a memoer of the Legislative Council in. 1946.