How to Pronounce Joseph Ward
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Apr 26, 1856 Melbourne, Victoria, Australia Died on 08 Jul 1930 (aged 74)
New Zealand politician
TaurusJoseph Ward - Place of Birth, Date of Birth, Age, Wiki, Facts, Net Worth, Birthday, Biography and Family
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About Joseph Ward
- Sir Joseph George Ward, 1st Baronet, of Wellington, (26 April 1856 – 8 July 1930) was a New Zealand politician who served as the 17th Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1906 to 1912 and from 1928 to 1930.
- He was a dominant figure in the Liberal and United ministries of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Ward was born into an Irish Catholic family in Melbourne, Victoria.
- In 1863, financial hardship forced his family to move to New Zealand, where he completed his education.
- Ward established a successful grain trade in Invercargill in 1877 and soon became prominent in local politics.
- He became a Member of Parliament in 1887.
- Following the election of the Liberal Government in 1891, Ward was appointed as Postmaster-General under John Ballance; he was promoted to Minister of Finance in the succeeding ministry of Richard Seddon. Ward became Prime Minister on 6 August 1906, following Seddon's death two months earlier.
- In his first period of government, Ward advocated greater unity within the British Empire, led New Zealand to Dominion status, and increased New Zealand's contribution to the Royal Navy.
- His government faced strong opposition from the Reform Party and the newly-formed socialist parties.
- He led the Liberal Party to two election victories, in 1908 and 1911, albeit with a one-seat majority in the latter.
- He resigned as head of government on 28 March 1912. During the First World War, Ward led his party in a coalition with the Reform Party.
- As co-leader of the government, Ward had a strained working relationship with Prime Minister William Massey.
- The coalition was dissolved in 1919 and Ward resigned as Liberal leader. After a six-year absence from national politics, Ward returned to parliament in 1925.
- He became Prime Minister on 10 December 1928, as leader of the United Party, which had formed from the remnants of the former Liberal Party.
- Ward attempted to rejuvenate liberal support in New Zealand but his party lost ground to the New Zealand Labour Party.
- Failing health forced his retirement from leadership on 28 May 1930.
