Fred Frost

Reverend Frederick Ledger Frost (1887–19 July 1957) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.

The Reverend Fred Frost
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for New Plymouth
In office 15 October 1938 – 25 September 1943
Preceded by	Sydney George Smith
Succeeded by	Ernest Aderman
Personal details
Born	1887 Northumberland, England
Died	19 July 1957 Auckland, New Zealand
Political party	Labour
Spouse(s)	Margaret Clarice Seed
Relations	Darien Fenton (granddaughter)
Children	5

Biography

Early life and career

Frost was born in Northumberland, England, in 1887 and from the ages of 13 to 24 was a coal-miner in England and then Australia.[1] He came to New Zealand in 1911, and worked in the Millerton mines before becoming a Methodist minister. He enlisted in the army during World War I he was a soldier in the 1st Otago Tunneling Corps, then became a Chaplain-Captain before being wounded in action in 1918.[2]

He was for 14 years a Methodist minister and City Missioner in Auckland initially, but then stationed at Stratford, Dunedin, Edendale, Lyttelton and Tauranga. He changed to the Anglican Church in 1924, becoming a Vicar in Taradale in 1926 until 1935.[2]

He was President of the Taradale Returned and Services' Association from 1927 to 1934 and member of both the Hawke's Bay Education Board and Napier Boys' High School Board from 1931 to 1935. He then worked in broadcasting at the head office of the Labour Department from 1936 to 1938.[2]

Member of Parliament

New Zealand Parliament
Years	Term	Electorate		Party
1938–1943	26th	New Plymouth		Labour

Frost stood for New Plymouth unsuccessfully in 1931 and 1935[3] as the Labour Party candidate.

He represented the New Plymouth electorate from the 1938 general election to 1943, when he was defeated by the National candidate, Rev Ernest Aderman, who was also a Christian minister.[4] He was the first Labour MP to represent New Plymouth in Parliament.[1]

Later life and death

After he was defeated he moved to Auckland in 1943.[1]

He died in Auckland on 19 July 1957, survived by his wife, son and four daughters.[1]

His granddaughter, Darien Fenton, was elected to Parliament as a Labour MP in 2005.[5]

Notes

1. "Former New Plymouth M.P.'s Death". Taranaki Daily News. 23 July 1957.
2. Gustafson 1986, p. 281.
3. "Election Results". The Evening Post. CXX (137). 6 December 1935. p. 10. Retrieved 14 November 2013.
4. Wilson 1985, pp. 198.
5. "New MPs: Darien Fenton", Kevin Taylor, 24 September 2005, The New Zealand Herald

References

• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand parliamentary record, 1840–1984 (4 ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
• Gustafson, Barry (1986). From the Cradle to the Grave: a biography of Michael Joseph Savage. Auckland: Reed Methuen. ISBN 0-474-00138-5.