William Sheat

Bill Sheat
Sheat in 1950
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Egmont
In office 30 November 1957 – 26 November 1966
Preceded by	Ernest Corbett
Succeeded by	Venn Young
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Patea
In office 25 September 1943 – 13 November 1954
Preceded by	Harold Dickie
Succeeded by	Roy Jack
Personal details
Born	(1899-05-23)23 May 1899
Died	24 May 1982(1982-05-24) (aged 83)
Political party	National (from 1940) Labour (until 1935) Independent (1935–1940)
Spouse	Ella Marjorie Newton
Relations	Bill Sheat (son)

William Alfred Sheat (23 May 1899 – 24 May 1982) was a New Zealand Member of Parliament for two Taranaki electorates.

Early life

Sheat was born at Pihama, Taranaki, in 1899.[1] He was the son of Joseph Sheat and his wife Susannah (née Rose). He received his early education at Pihama Primary and Hawera District High School.[2] He attended Victoria University College and graduated B.A. in 1920 and LL.B. in 1923.[1] He married Ella Marjorie Newton, who was also a Victoria University College graduate (M.A. in 1925), on 22 January 1929.[3][4] The wedding was held at St John's Presbyterian Church in Wellington.[5] They had two sons, including Bill Sheat.[2]

Sheat was admitted as a solicitor in 1922. He lectured economics at the Workers' Educational Association from 1923 to 1925. From 1926 to 1928, he taught at Marlborough College. From 1928, he farmed in Pihama.[2]

Political activity

New Zealand Parliament

Years	Term	Electorate		Party
1943–1946	27th	Patea			National
1946–1949	28th	Patea			National
1949–1951	29th	Patea			National
1951–1954	30th	Patea			National
1954	30th	Patea			Independent
1957–1960	32nd	Egmont			National
1960–1963	33rd	Egmont			National
1963–1966	34th	Egmont			National

Early political career

New Zealand Labour Party: General election, 1925 – Labour's candidates, including Bill Sheat

Sheat served on the Egmont County Council for twelve years.[1] He was initially a member of the Labour Party and stood as the Labour candidate for Taranaki in 1925,[6] and for New Plymouth in 1931.[7] At the 1935 election, Sheat contested the New Plymouth electorate again, this time as an Independent. He joined the National Party in 1940.[1]

Member of Parliament

Bill Sheat represented the Patea electorate between 1943 and 1954[8] and then the Egmont electorate from 1957 to 1966.

After a 1953 redistricting much of the Patea seat (including his residence) shifted to the Egmont electorate. The seat of Stratford had been recreated and the home of the incumbent MP for Egmont, Ernest Corbett, was now situated in Stratford. Sheat did not wish to represent the enlarged, mostly rural, Patea and thought it appropriate that he instead contest Egmont and Corbett contest Stratford. However Corbett was selected again in Egmont instead of Sheat, leading Sheat to accuse the local party electorate organiser of predetermining the candidacy. On 14 May 1954 he resigned his seat with the intention of winning it back at a by-election as an Independent.[9] He narrowly held the seat in the 31 July by-election, which National did not contest. He subsequently did not stand in the 1954 general election. In 1957 Sheat returned to Parliament as MP for Egmont after Corbett's retirement until he retired in 1966.[1]

Sheat was Undersecretary to the Minister of Works between 1949 and 1954.[10] Prior to his selection dispute he looked certain of gaining a cabinet post, but Keith Holyoake never forgave him for resigning and overlooked him when selecting his cabinet in 1960 and 1963.[9] This was despite Sheat still defending the National Government against Labour's criticisms (particularly with regards to financial policy) while fighting the by-election as an independent candidate.[11]

Death

Sheat died on 24 May 1982, aged 83 years. He was cremated in the Wellington suburb of Karori four days later.[12]

Notes

1. Gustafson 1986, p. 342.
2. Traue, James Edward (1978). Who's Who in New Zealand, 1978 (11th ed.). Wellington: Reed Publishing. p. 246.
3. "Papers of Bill Sheat". Victoria University of Wellington. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
4. "Marriages". The Evening Post. Vol. CVII, no. 68. 23 March 1929. p. 1. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
5. "Weddings". The Evening Post. Vol. CVII, no. 69. 25 March 1929. p. 15. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
6. The General Election, 1925. Government Printer. 1926. p. 3. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
7. The General Election, 1931. Government Printer. 1932. p. 4. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
8. Wilson 1985, p. 270.
9. Gustafson 1986, p. 220.
10. Wilson 1985, p. 86.
11. "By-election in Patea - Poll on Saturday". The Press. Vol. XC, no. 27413. 28 July 1954. p. 8. Retrieved 14 February 2022.
12. "Cemeteries search". Wellington City Council. Retrieved 12 September 2015.

References

• Gustafson, Barry (1986). The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party. Auckland: Reed Methuen. ISBN 0-474-00177-6.
• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.

New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by Harold Dickie	Member of Parliament for Patea 1943–1954	Succeeded by Roy Jack
Preceded by Ernest Corbett	Member of Parliament for Egmont 1957–1966	Succeeded by Venn Young