Bruce McLeod (politician)

Bruce McLeod (3 August 1890 – 6 February 1966) was a member of the suicide squad in 1950 appointed to vote for the abolition of the New Zealand Legislative Council.

Early life

McLeod was born on 3 August 1890 in Foxton, New Zealand. He received his education in Makomako (near Aotea Harbour) and Pahiatua.[1]

Military

McLeod was part of the New Zealand Rifle Brigade during World War I.[2] Becoming a major,[1] he rose to second in command, and received a Military Cross for action in France.[2] He lost an arm in the war.[3] He joined the Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association in 1927,[1]

Farming

After the war, McLeod farmed sheep at Colyton near Feilding.[1] He retired from farming in 1964.[2]

Politics

McLeod joined the National Party in 1936, the year the party was formed. Since 1946, he was the chairman of the Manawatu executive.[1] He was appointed a member of the New Zealand Legislative Council on 22 June 1950[4] as part of the suicide squad nominated by the First National Government in 1950 to vote for the abolition of the Council. Most of the new members (like McLeod) were appointed on 22 June 1950, and served until 31 December 1950 when the Council was abolished. In 1953, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.[5]

Family and death

On 4 April 1928, Margaret Falconer and McLeod married at St Paul's Presbyterian Church in Pahiatua.[6] They were to have three sons.[1] McLeod died on 6 February 1966.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Scholefield, Guy (1951). Who's Who in New Zealand, 1951 (5th ed.). Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed.
  2. ^ a b c d "Obituary". The Press. Vol. CV, no. 30981. 10 February 1966. p. 9. Retrieved 17 November 2025.
  3. ^ ""Limbless" soldiers". Otago Daily Times. No. 22591. 7 June 1935. p. 4. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
  4. ^ Wilson, J.O. (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Government Printer. p. 158. OCLC 154283103.
  5. ^ Taylor, Alister; Coddington, Deborah (1994). Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand. Auckland: New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa. p. 417. ISBN 0-908578-34-2.
  6. ^ "Wedding bells". Pahiatua Herald. Vol. XXXVI, no. 10807. 10 April 1928. p. 3. Retrieved 17 November 2025.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.