Roy Jack

Sir Roy Emile Jack (12 January 1914 – 24 December 1977) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. He was a cabinet minister and Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Biography

Jack was born in New Plymouth in 1914. He was educated at Wanganui Collegiate School and graduated from the Victoria University with an LLB. During the war, he served with the Royal New Zealand Air Force. He was first elected onto Wanganui City Council in 1946 and was deputy mayor in the following year. He served on the city council until 1955.

He represented the electorate of Patea from 1954 to 1963, then Waimarino from 1963 to 1972, then Rangitikei from 1972 to 1977 when he died.

The Rangitikei electorate was to become Waimarino because of post-census boundary changes in the 1972 election, and though a sitting MP he was challenged by Ruth Richardson (who he had advised about a career in politics). George Chapman who chaired the selection said that The tensions were tremendous, but Roy was finally confirmed as the candidate. He had an election-night majority of 2067 in 1972, down from Shelton's 1969 majority of 4214).