John Alfred Alexander Lee (31 October 1891 – 13 June 1982) was a New Zealand politician and writer. He is one of the more prominent avowed socialists in New Zealand's political history.
Lee was elected as a member of parliament in 1922. After the Labour Party's victory in 1935, Lee was passed over for appointment to cabinet, instead becoming an under-secretary. He became a critic of the leadership of his party and was expelled in 1940, subsequently founding his own left-wing party, the Democratic Labour Party. He lost his parliamentary seat at the 1943 election.
Biography
Early life
Lee was born in Dunedin in 1891, the son of Alfred Lee and Mary Isabella Taylor. His parents were not married, and at the time of his birth, they had already separated due to his father's gambling and alcoholism. Lee's mother had little income, and the family experienced considerable financial hardship. Lee did not do well at school, and he was often truant. In 1905, he left school to work, and became involved in petty crime. In 1908, he was convicted of theft, and served time at a boarding school for juvenile delinquents. He attempted to escape several times and was eventually successful. Historian Erik Olssen has documented that after wandering the country for a time, Lee found work in Raetihi, but was then jailed for liquor smuggling and breaking and entering.
Three years after being released, Lee enlisted in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, and served in World War I. He was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal for action at Messines in June 1917, but was repatriated after being wounded in March 1918 and losing his left arm. He arrived back in New Zealand in July 1919, and established a small business. Lee wrote a novel Citizen into Soldier in 1937 inspired by his wartime experiences.
Early political career
Not long after returning home, Lee became active in the Labour Party. Lee had been a committed socialist for some time, having read a large amount of Marxist literature over the years. He is said to have heard the speeches of Bob Semple and Harry Scott Bennett through the bars of his jail cell, and in the army, he had been known as "Bolshie Lee" for his views. Lee's status as a veteran was considered valuable by the Labour Party, as the party's anti-conscription stance had caused many to brand it unpatriotic — Lee, a decorated and wounded soldier, was able to counter this perception quite effectively. By 1920, Lee was on the Labour Party's national executive.
In , Lee contested the by-election in the Auckland East electorate caused by the resignation of Arthur Myers, but he was defeated by Clutha Mackenzie. In the 1922 general election, however, he stood again and was elected. He soon became one of the better known Members of Parliament, noted for his powerful oratory and strong views. He also played a considerable role in the Labour Party's internal policy formulation, where he had a strong interest in foreign affairs, defence and economics.
Lee was re-elected in the 1925 election for with a majority of 750, but (he later claimed) because of boundary changes, he was narrowly defeated (by 37 votes) in the 1928 election. In 1927 the Representation Commission had proposed altering the boundaries of the electorate; which if confirmed would have made the electorate "dry" or no-licence, and without an authority which could issue temporary licences for the Ellerslie and Alexandra Park raceways. Following objections, the boundary between the Parnell and Auckland East electorates was adjusted to include a hotel in the Parnell electorate (so retaining its licensing committee).
So after the 1928 election, Lee took a job managing the Palace Hotel in Rotorua (though he did not drink) for Ernest Davis.
In the 1931 election, Lee won the electorate of Grey Lynn, having controversially defeated another former MP, Fred Bartram, for the Labour nomination. The major political issue of the day was the Great Depression, and Lee played a significant role in the formulation of Labour's economic policies. Lee also wrote his first novel, Children of the Poor — the book was largely autobiographical, and was a considerable success. The book argued that poverty generated crime and vice, and that only a socialist program could solve society's problems. He produced a sequel The Hunted in 1936. In the early 1930s Lee served on the Auckland Rugby League's board and later served as chairman. In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.