1943: Coates Dies in Office
May 27, 2022
By AHNZ
On 27 May, 1943, Gordon Coates collapsed and died in Parliament at his desk. Not the first and, hopefully, not the last of our Prime Ministers to die on parliament grounds.
Coates had been Prime Minister himself some 20 years previous. But, now, during Labour 1.0 and WW2 days, he remained a powerful force. When he died so too did the faction he headed. After that we were a two-party system and would remain so until MMP shook things up.
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Image ref. Auckland Museum Collections
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Anarchist History of New Zealand: If my own watch goes false, it deceives me and no one else; but if the town clock goes false, it deceives the whole parish. - Daniel Defoe
