Ronald Algie

The Honourable Sir Ronald Algie
15th Speaker of the House of Representatives
In office 20 June 1961 – 26 November 1966
Prime Minister	Keith Holyoake
Preceded by	Robert Macfarlane
Succeeded by	Roy Jack
9th Minister for Science and Industrial Research
In office 19 September 1951 – 12 December 1957
Prime Minister	Sidney Holland Keith Holyoake
Preceded by	Clifton Webb
Succeeded by	Phil Holloway
6th Minister of Broadcasting
In office 19 September 1951 – 12 December 1957
Prime Minister	Sidney Holland Keith Holyoake
Preceded by	Frederick Doidge
Succeeded by	Ray Boord
25th Minister of Education
In office 13 December 1949 – 12 December 1957
Prime Minister	Sidney Holland Keith Holyoake
Preceded by	Terry McCombs
Succeeded by	Philip Skoglund
Member of the New Zealand Parliament for Remuera
In office 25 September 1943 – 26 November 1966
Preceded by	Bill Endean
Succeeded by	Allan Highet
Personal details
Born	Ronald Macmillan Algie (1888-10-22)22 October 1888 Wyndham, New Zealand
Died	23 July 1978(1978-07-23) (aged 89) Auckland, New Zealand
Political party	National
Spouse	Helen Adair McMaster ​ ​ (m. 1917; died 1944)​
Profession	Professor

Sir Ronald Macmillan Algie (22 October 1888 – 23 July 1978) was a New Zealand politician who served as Speaker of the House of Representatives for six years in the 1960s. He described himself as "a Tory in the old tradition".^[1]

Algie was born on 22 October 1888, in Wyndham, a small town in New Zealand's Southland Region. He was educated at Arrowtown, Thames High School and Balclutha District High School. He became a teacher at Paeroa District High School before transferring to a school in Ponsonby and later was the junior English master at Seddon Memorial Technical College.^[2] He attended Auckland University College to study law and gained an LLB in 1913 and an LLM in 1915. In 1920, aged 31, he became the first professor of law at Auckland University College. He was noted for his strong intellectual performance, and also for his conservative views.^[1]

On 4 December 1917 at St Mary's pro-Cathedral, Parnell, Algie married Helen Adair McMaster,^[3] a prominent alpinist whose climbs included an ascent of Aoraki / Mount Cook.^[4]

In 1937, Algie became the director of the Freedom Association, an organisation which strongly opposed the left-wing Labour Party government of the time. The Freedom Association quickly became linked to the new National Party, and Algie became one of the party's more prominent supporters and was involved in the Remuera electorate. The incumbent MP for Remuera was National's Bill Endean who was unpopular among supporters, so much so that he was nearly deselected for the planned 1941 general election.^[5] The 1941 election was postponed due to the war, though, and Endean failed to get selected by the National Party for the 1943 election and Algie was chosen instead.^[6] Endean was overseas at the time of the selection, but even if he had been present, Gustafson believes that the "elderly, dull Endean would have been no match for the clever and witty Algie". Endean was the first sitting National MP who failed to get re-selected.^[5] Algie won the seat and entered Parliament.^[2]

Algie proved to be a skilled Parliamentary debater, and has been described by Hugh Templeton as the best debater of his time. Even opponents such as Bob Semple respected Algie's rhetorical abilities. He was also noted for remaining polite throughout debates, and for his willingness to apologise for any offence he accidentally gave.^[1]

After the 1949 election, when Sidney Holland formed the first National government, Algie was immediately elevated to Cabinet. He was initially appointed Minister of Education, and later became Minister of Broadcasting and Minister for Science and Industrial Research.^[7] He also co-led the committee that looked into the future of the Legislative Council, the upper house of the New Zealand Parliament, which was abolished from 1951. In the end, however, Algie's proposals for a Senate were not pursued, and New Zealand's parliament has not had an upper house since that time.^[1]

In 1953, Algie was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.^[8] Algie briefly returned to Opposition after the 1957 election, which National lost. In opposition he was appointed Shadow Minister of Foreign Affairs.^[9]

When National regained power after the 1960 election, Algie is believed to have wanted the post of Minister of External Affairs, but was not given it (possibly because of his age; he was seventy-two). Instead, he was convinced to take up the Speakership. He officially assumed office at the beginning of the 1961 parliamentary term.^[1]

As Speaker, Algie was known for his strong insistence on politeness in debates. He also undertook a number of reforms of Parliamentary procedure to accommodate the changing nature of politics. He served six years as Speaker, retiring at the 1966 election. He was generally praised for his performance in the role and in the 1964 Queen's Birthday Honours Algie was appointed a Knight Bachelor.^[10][11] Algie was succeeded in the Remuera seat by Allan Highet.^[12]

Algie died in Auckland on 23 July 1978.^[2]

• 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 ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.

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• Works by Ronald Algie at Project Gutenberg