Hugh Watt

Hugh Watt (1912–80) was a Labour member of Parliament and Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1972–1974. He was briefly the Acting Prime Minister of New Zealand between 1 September 1974 – 6 September 1974 following the death of Norman Kirk. He was Australian-born, like Labour Party founders such as Harry Holland, Michael Joseph Savage, Bob Semple and Paddy Webb and later MPs such as Mabel Howard and Clarence Skinner. He represented the electorate of Onehunga from 1953 (after a by-election) to 1975. He retired at the 1975 general election in favour of Frank Rogers. Watt was appointed New Zealand's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom effective from 22 March 1975 for three years. Controversially, he stayed on as a member of...