Fintan Patrick Walsh

Fintan Patrick Walsh
3rd President of the Federation of Labour
In office 17 October 1952 – 16 May 1963
Vice President	Bill Fox (1952–59) Tom Skinner (1959–63)
Preceded by	Alec Croskery
Succeeded by	Tom Skinner
Personal details
Born	Patrick Tuohy 13 August 1894 Pātūtahi, New Zealand
Died	16 May 1963 Wellington, New Zealand
Political party	Labour
Other political affiliations	Communist (1920–24)
Children	1
Occupation	Seaman

Fintan Patrick Walsh (13 August 1894 – 16 May 1963) was a notable New Zealand seaman, trade unionist and farmer. He was born in Pātūtahi, Poverty Bay, on the East Coast of New Zealand in 1894, and died in Wellington in 1963.[1]

Biography

Fintan Patrick Walsh was born Patrick Tuohy at Pātūtahi, Poverty Bay, on 13 August 1894, one of eleven children of farming parents Andrew Tuohy and his wife, Hannah O'Sullivan, both born in Ireland. He was raised a Catholic but reportedly discarded his faith when he became an adult.[1]

He was a founding member of the Communist Party of New Zealand.[2] Walsh was president of the New Zealand Federation of Labour between 1953 and 1963.[3]

In 1953, Walsh was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.[4]

He died in Wellington on 16 May 1963.[5] Though he never married he was survived by a daughter.[1]

See also

• Hedwig Ross, co-founder of the Communist Party of New Zealand

References

1. Walsh, Pat. "Fintan Patrick Walsh". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
2. "Fintan Patrick Walsh". New Zealand History. Archived from the original on 20 June 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
3. Hobbs, Leslie (1967). The Thirty-Year Wonders. Christchurch: Whitcombe & Tombs. p. 168.
4. "Coronation Medal" (PDF). Supplement to the New Zealand Gazette. No. 37. 3 July 1953. pp. 1021–1035. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
5. "Fintan Patrick Walsh Dead – Colourful, Controversial Industrial Leader". The Press. Vol. CII, no. 30133. 17 May 1963. p. 10.

Trade union offices
Preceded by Alec Croskery	President of the Federation of Labour 1952–1963	Succeeded by Tom Skinner