Biography

JOHN ANDREW MILLAR

Burial register ID: 12838
Surname: MILLAR
First name: JOHN
Middle names: ANDREW
Gender: Male
Age: 60 Years
Cause of death: Unknown
Burial type:
Date of death: 15-Oct-1915
Date of burial: 20-Oct-1915

Block: 181A
Plot: 10
Inscription:

IN LOVING MEMORY

OF

SARAH LILLIAN

BELOVED WIFE OF

JOHN ANDREW MILLAR

DIED NOV. 15th 1906

AGED 47 YEARS.

ALSO

JOHN ANDREW MILLAR, M.L.C.

DIED OCTOBER 15th 1915

AGED 60 YEARS.

Bio contributor: Historic Cemeteries Conservation Trust

Labour Day in New Zealand is celebrated partly because of John Millar’s advocacy.

Millar was born in India, the son of a British army officer. During the 1880s he served on coastal ships around New Zealand and in 1887 became secretary of the Federated Seamen’s Union. In 1889 he worked with Rutherford Waddell to form the Dunedin Tailoresses’ Union and acted as first secretary. He was the first secretary of the Maritime Council, and led New Zealand’s first national strike in 1890, the year that Labour Day was first celebrated in New Zealand. Both the council and the strike were broken, but Millar continued as secretary of the Seamen’s Union.

He was elected to Parliament in 1893 and between 1906 and 1912 served as Minister of Labour, Marine, and Customs and Railways. When Ward finally resigned in 1911, Millar expected to succeed him as premier, but when not elected he rose from his sick-bed, walked into the chamber in his pyjamas, and supported Massey’s vote of no-confidence which brought down the government and ushered in the first (conservative) Reform Government.
John Millar
Source:

There are 3 Interments in this grave:

Surname First names Age Date of death Date of burial
ANDERSON CATHERINE MCGREGOR 68 Years 17-Mar-1967 20-Mar-1967
MILLAR JOHN ANDREW 60 Years 15-Oct-1915 20-Oct-1915
MILLAR SARAH LILIAN 47 Years 15-Nov-1906 17-Nov-1906