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"Man in his time plays many parts": 

Life stories of William Jordan 

A thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the 
degree of Masters of Arts in History at Massey University 

Carina Hickey 

2003 



Contents 

Acknowledgements 

List of Illustrations and Abbreviations 2 

Introduction 4 

Chapter 1 "The most human of men?": Jordan -The Chronological Life 21 

Chapter 2 "He walked with kings but kept the common touch": The Working 
Class Man 39 

Chapter 3 "I refuse to be bound to any man": The Independent Man 81 

Chapter 4 "There's a big hand in it all": Man of Religion 128 

Conclusion: "The most human of men" 161 

Bibliography 170 



Acknowledgements 

In undertaking the writing of this thesis I have incurred debts to many people, not least 

of whom are my family, Jack, Rodney and Andrew who have provided unwavering 

love and support. To Winnie Jordan I am deeply grateful for opening both her heart 

and home to me, for unlimited access to her personal collection on her father-in-law, 

for the numerous cups of tea and the ongoing interest and enthusiasm. To Dr. Gwen 

Douglas, Jordan's daughter, I owe more than just thanks for the insightful personal 

reminiscences about her father. I also wish to thank the staff of the following 

institutions for their time and help in the research stage of this thesis: University of 

Auckland Library, National Archives, Alexander Turnbull Library, Parliamentary 

Library, Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Ministry of Defence Archives, Massey 

University Library, Radio New Zealand Sound Archives, Methodist Church of New 

Zealand Archives, Hocken Library. The funding of this thesis has been made possible 

by scholarships granted by Massey University, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and 

Trade and the Manawatu Branch of the New Zealand Federation of Graduate Women. 

I am also most grateful to the family of Max Chapple for the Memorial Scholarship, 

administered by Massey University. I am indebted to my supervisor Dr. Kerry Taylor 

for his ongoing encouragement, patience and valued advice. Finally, I want to thank 

William Joseph Jordan - for without his life there would be no stories to tell. 

The title of this thesis is a phrase William Jordan used in a speech in the Raglan 

electorate in 19 l 9. However, the quotation is originally from the play "As You Like 

it", by William Shakespeare. In Act II, Scene vii Jacques remarks "All the world's a 

stage, and all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their 

entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts". 1 

1 D.C. Browning (ed.), Everyman 's Dictionary a/Shakespeare Quotations, London: J.M. Dent & Sons Ltd, 
1961, p. 105. 



2 

Illustrations and Abbreviations 

Front-page cover shows William Jordan as New Zealand's High Commissioner in 

London, Winnie Jordan Collection (WJC). 

Figure I. Captain William Jordan, WJC, p. 21. 

Figure 2. Jordan with his mother in 1936, WJC, p. 22. 

Figure 3. Jordan and the London flats that were named after him, WJC, p. 23 . 

Figure 4. Jordan at St. Luke' s School, WJC, p. 24. 

Figure 5. Jordan's Paintshop, Ngaruawahia, WJC, p. 29. 

Figure 6. Jordan at Trentham during WWI, WJC, p. 30. 

Figure 7. Jordan, Winifred and baby son William, WJC, p. 32. 

Figure 8. Honey blending tank, Auckland, WJC, p. 33. 

Figure 9. Jordan, Winifred, William and Gwen, W JC, p. 34. 

Figure 10. Jordan and his son William at the races ea 1948-50, WJC, p. 37. 

Figure 11. Jordan as a London policeman, WJC, p. 46. 

Figure 12. Jordan cutting a tree in Pohangina Valley, W JC, p. 50. 

Figure 13. Jordan with his father, WWI, WJC, p. 63. 

Figure 14. Jordan with his mother and three sisters, WJC, p. 64. 

Figure 15. Jordan in diplomatic uniform, WJC, p. 69. 

Figure 16. Jordan and Winifred in diplomatic uniform, WJC, p. 69. 

Figure 17. In the garden at Wimbledon, WJC, p. 72. 

Figure 18. "The Dignitary of Labour", New Zealand Herald cartoon, 2 October 193 7, 
WJC, p. 74. 

Figure 19. "It doesn't look quite right, somehow", New Zealand Herald cartoon, 29 
October 1948, WJC, p. 77. 

Figure 20. Jordan at work in Ngaruawahia, WJC, p. 86. 

Figure 21. 1922 Election Card, WJC, p. 92. 

Figure 22. Jordan asleep in the Billiard Room, Parliament House, Wellington, Sir 
William Jordan Papers A-178, Box 4 Folder 1, Auckland University 
Library, p. 98. 



3 

Figure 23. 1925 Election Flyer, Sir William Jordan Papers A-178, Box l Folder 3, 
Auckland University Library, p. 100. 

Figure 24. Graph, "Labour Percentage of Total Votes in Auckland Seats", p. 103. 

Figure 25. Jordan family together in London, 1936, WJC, p. 108. 

Figure 26. "Firm Steps", New Zealand Herald cartoon, 2 October 1936, W JC, p. 112. 

Figure 27. Montage of photographs on a wall, Ngaruawahia, WJC, p. 119. 

Figure 28. Jordan as a Freemason, Onehunga, WJC, p. 121. 

Figure 29. Jordan as a Freemason, Wimbledon, W JC, p. 121. 

Figure 30. "Any more axes to grind", Evening Post cartoon, 3 March 1947, WJC, 
p. 125. 

Figure 31. Picnic, Webb Street Primitive Methodists, WJC, p. 133. 

Figure 32. Jordan asleep in the Paris Peace Conference, 1946, W JC, p. 154. 

Figure 33. Caricature of Jordan by J.T. Allen 1936, Parliamentary Portraits2, p. 162. 

Figure 34. Jordan on his last day of office as High Commissioner, Sir William Jordan 
Papers A-178, Box 4 Folder 1, Auckland University Library, p. 169. 

Abbreviations used in text. 

AJHR 

DU:HO 

NA 

WJC 

WTU 

Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives. 

Hocken Library, Dunedin. 

National Archives, Wellington. 

Winnie Jordan Collection, Auckland. 

Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington. 

2 J.T. Allen, Parliamentary Portraits, Christchurch: Caxton Press, 1936, unpaginated. 



4 

Introduction 

When the first Labour government was elected in 1935 William Jordan became both 

New Zealand's High Commissioner in London and New Zealand's representative at 

the League of Nations. Prior to his appointment Jordan had served nearly fourteen 

years as a Labour Member of Parliament.3 I first became interested in Jordan while I 

was completing a research exercise on New Zealand's reactions to the Sino-Japanese 

war in 1937. Jordan featured prominently at the League of Nations when the New 

Zealand government's stand on international issues brought it into conflict with British 

policy. He stood out as a significant figure of this period due to his personality and 

strength of character. As New Zealand ' s representative, Jordan spoke powerfully on 

international morality. His forthright speeches showed his courage, often in the face of 

pressure from other nations. He delivered speeches that were blunt, simple and often 

in plain undiplomatic language. Bruce Bennett described hi s, 

unpretentious, sincere, yet forceful speeches [which] brought him admiration 
at a forum noted for caution to the point of cowardice. His very simplicity, 
which some of his associates despised, was part of his magic.4 

Jordan ' s character and personality seemed distinctive and denoted him as a compelling 

historical individual. 

Notwithstanding his unique personality, Jordan was also a national figure in his time. 

When first appointed he was New Zealand ' s sole diplomatic representative. By the 

time of his retirement, after a record fifteen years as High Commissioner in London, 

he had been the country's best-known representative abroad. I was very intrigued to 

examine not only Jordan the man but to also explore a broader perspective and see 

how, as a distinct individual, he interacted within the social, cultural and historical 

contexts of his time. 

3 Malcolm Templeton, 'Jordan, William Joseph 1879-1959' . Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, 
updated 19 July 2002 URL: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/ 
4 Bruce Bennett, New Zealand's Moral Foreign Policy 1935-1939: The Promotion of Collective Security 
Through the League of Nations, Wellington: New Zealand Institute oflntemational Affairs, 1988, p. 14. 



5 

Malcolm Templeton, Jordan's biographer in the Dictionary of New Zealand 

Biography, indicated that Jordan was a prominent figure in his time, at home and 

aboard.5 Although, he suggested that there was a wide gulf between the public 

perception of a national figure and his reputation among his subordinates and other 

public servants who had to deal with him. Templeton cited Major W.G. Stevens, 

Jordan' s one-time deputy at New Zealand House, who described him as "the most 

unforgetting and unforgiving man he had ever known".6 Other accounts also suggested 

Jordan was a complex individual, a man with a "many-sided personality".7 Therefore, 

along with Jordan ' s distinct individuality, another enticing factor was to investigate 

both the perception and the reality of Jordan as a historical figure. 

Although historians had outlined some aspects of Jordan's public life, his private life 

remained largely undocumented. What had been the formative influences which had 

shaped his personality? What beliefs or ideals guided him in his life ' s choices? The 

literature told us little about these issues. The initial title of this thesis was '"The most 

human of men" 8
: William Jordan, politician and diplomat ' . I wanted to focus not only 

on diplomatic or political history but also on Jordan ' s humanity as early research 

suggested Jordan possessed distinctive human qualities. However, as the research 

progressed it became clear that Jordan's was a "many-sided personality" and this 

became a leading conceptual device.9 The thesis was refocussed slightly to reflect this 

as Jordan himself said, quoting Shakespeare, "man in his time plays many parts". 10 

5 Templeton, ' Jordan ' . 
6 Templeton, 'Jordan'. Major-General William George Stevens was Official Secretary, High 
Commissioners Office, London, 1946-53. 
7 Sir Carl Berendsen, ' Reminiscences of an ambassador' , p. 164, Sir Alister Donald McIntosh Papers, MS­
Papers-6759-463, WTU. Carl Berendsen was Head of the Prime Minister' s Department I 932-43. 
Berendsen was New Zealand's High Commissioner to Australia 1943-44 and from 1944-48 he was 
ambassador to United States and United Nations. 'Reminiscences of an ambassador' is an unbound 
manuscript of twelve files MS-Papers-6759-453 to MS-Papers-6759-465. Each file is referenced 
individually in this thesis. 
8 The quote is from Berendsen, 'Reminiscences of an ambassador' , MS-Papers-6759-463, p. 170. 
9 Berendsen, 'Reminiscences of an ambassador', MS-Papers-6759-463, p. 164. 
'
0 ' Address by William Jordan' at Ngaruawahia 4 November 1919, WJC. Jordan gave this address as the 

Labour candidate in the Raglan electorate. He remarked that when he first came to the district he would 
never have guessed that he would be asked to contest a Parliamentary election however he realised the truth 
of the saying "man in his time plays many parts". 



6 

Historian E.P. Thompson believed human experience in history should not be ignored. 

History is, in part, the product of humanity's own efforts. Historical knowledge could 

not be deduced from theory alone but was the product of concepts and evidence 

(historical theory and historical past). Therefore, there must be 'humanism' in 

history. 11 Concurring with Thompson, r searched for an approach to historical writing 

that would explore not only human qualities and life stories but would illuminate 

specific human experience within history. The genre of biography was appealing for, 

as Stephen Oates states, "biography humanises history" .12 Concurring, Frank Vandiver 

states " biography ... can ... offer a glimpse of humanity in microcosm" . 13 For Jordan, 

the biographical genre would illuminate not only his own humanity ( or distinct human 

qualities) and many personalities but also place him in his social, cultural and 

historical context through which his own experience within history could be glimpsed. 

The issue of subject choice has been the focus of debate among biographers. John 

Garraty, for example, discusses biographies which are written as a means of 

expressing the author' s own personality. 14 This is not a new approach however, as 

Plutarch, sometimes described as the father of biography, also discusses this. 15 As one 

of the greatest contributors to the style and form of biographical writing, Plutarch 

wrote moralistic and anecdotal lives but also contributed an interesting dimension : a 

self-reflexive awareness of the role of the biographer. Plutarch stated that in writing a 

biography he discovered something about himself. 

It was for the sake of others that I first commenced writing biographies: but I 
find myself proceeding and attaching myself to it for my own; the virtues of 
these great men service me as a sort of looking-glass, in which I may see how 
to adjust and adorn my own life. 16 

11 Harvey J. Kaye, The British Marxist Historians: An Introductory Analysis, Cambridge: Polity Press, 
1984, p. 212. 
12 Stephen Oates (ed.), Biography as High Adventure: Life-Writers Speak on their Art, Amherst: University 
of Massachusetts Press, 1986, p. xi . 
13 Vandiver cited in Oates, p. 64. 
14 John A. Garraty, The Nature of Biography, Oxford: Alden Press, 1958, Ch. 7. 
15 Barbara W. Tuchman cited in Oates, p. 93 " ... Plutarch, the father of biography, used it [biography] for 
moral example . .. ". 
16 Plutarch cited in Ira Nadel, Biography: Fiction, Fact & Form, London: MacMillian Press, 1984, p. 21. 



7 

Freud restated Plutarch' s idea when he suggested that writers often choose their 

subjects 'for personal reasons of their own emotional life ' 17 and explained the 

psychology behind this. My interest in Jordan was indeed sparked by my own emotive 

feelings, initially manifest in Jordan ' s perceived strength of character. In addition, 

New Zealand's history has often been discussed with reference to an emerging 

national identity and independence. As a firm believer of New Zealand as an 

' independent' nation, I was drawn to Jordan, who was described by Barry Gustafson 

as "often independent in outlook and action". 18 He seemed to epitomise the 

independent voice of New Zealanders, particularly as the proponent of New Zealand ' s 

independent foreign policy at the League of Nations. 

Garraty also suggests that many biographies are the result of mutual interest whereby a 

historian who begins specialising in a particular field of history often ends up writing 

the biography of a central figure of that time. By the same token Garraty states, 

intense historical study frequently results in the discovery of an obscure but 
significant individual , leading the scholar to bring the new figure before the 
eyes of the world through a biography. 19 

Garraty's quote encapsulates how the seed of this research was formed. My specific 

research into New Zealand ' s response to the Sino-Japanese war (of which Jordan was 

a part) did in fact reveal Jordan as a significant, yet largely overlooked figure.20 

Therefore, my choice of Jordan as a subject has been a combination of emotive 

reasons, which included admiration of his personal qualities and research which 

focussed on a particular area, revealing his neglected status. 

As stated, there is no detailed analysis of Jordan, the man. While Jordan is noted in 

New Zealand's diplomatic history, his story beyond diplomacy remains largely 

17 Freud cited in Nadel, p. 21 . 
18 Barry Gustafson, From the Cradle to the Grave: A Biography of Michael Joseph Savage, Auckland: 
Reed Methuen, 1986, p. 285. 
19 Garraty, p. 136. 
2° Carina Hickey,' "My old frying pan is not coming back to rip the guts out of any New Zealander ": New 
Zealand responses to the Sino-Japanese war July 1937-March 1938', BA Hons. Research Essay, Massey 
University, 2002. 



8 

overlooked. Jordan's neglect was possibly due to the fact that his most high profile 

activity took place overseas, in London. This thesis takes up the challenge of 

redressing this gap in the literature of New Zealand's political history. 

Secondary Literature 

When Jordan is recorded in the secondary literature it generally does not move 

beyond his role in international relations. A feature of the literature covering the 

period is analysis of New Zealand's emerging independent foreign policy and Jordan 

is documented within this, often as New Zealand's voice in the international arena. 

David McIntyre outlined New Zealand's preparations for war up to 1939 and 

described Jordan as making a considerable mark on the League of Nations with 

stirring words that were quite consistent with adherence to Labour's policy of 

collective security.21 Malcolm McKinnon analysed New Zealand's independence and 

foreign policy, remarking that at the League Assembly, during discussions on the 

strengthening of the League's Covenant, Jordan raised one issue after another which 

Britain preferred to regard as closed.22 F. P. Walters briefly characterises Jordan in his 

study of the League of Nations describing him as a man "who might have stepped 

straight from the ranks of Cromwell's New Model Army, [who] not infrequently 

embarrassed the Council by a tendency to quote the Bible and to pour ridicule on the 

best-accepted euphemisms of diplomacy".23 

Another feature of the secondary literature is that it primarily focuses on the 

expanding diplomatic role of New Zealand's Department of External Affairs although 

it does also record glimpses of Jordan's personality. In Malcolm Templeton's An Eye, 

An Ear And a Voice: 50 years in New Zealand's External Relations 1943-1993, 

diplomat Frank Corner mentions Jordan as "deceptively affable to outsiders, aloof 

21 W. David McIntyre, New Zealand Prepares For War, Christchurch: Caxton Press, 1988, p. 164. 
22 Malcolm McKinnon, Independence and Foreign Policy: New Zealand in the World since /935, 
Auckland: Auckland University Press, 1993, p. 16. 
23 F. P. Walters, A History of the league of Nations, London: Oxford University Press, 1960, p. 736. 



9 

somewhere viciously brooding on his grievances against Nash and Fraser".24 In Top 

Hats are not being Taken Templeton outlines Jordan's role in diplomatic negotiations 

with the Russian Ambassador regarding the exchange of consular representatives 

between Wellington and Moscow.25 In Ian McGibbon's two books of letters between 

New Zealand diplomats, Undiplomatic Dialogue and Unofficial Channels26
, personal 

correspondence is exchanged between Wellington and the diplomatic network aboard, 

some of which highlights negative aspects of Jordan's character. McIntosh wrote in 

1949, "Bill Jordan's growls and rumbles are too far off to be heard"27 and Foss 

Shanahan remarked, "This Nash business with Jordan is like a cancer. He [Jordan] is 

becoming even worse".28 This literature signalled that both Jordan' s representation of 

himself, which was largely positive, and the perceived reality, which was sometimes 

critical , would indeed be a complex issue within the thesis. 

Aside from his international role Jordan is occasionally noted on a national political 

level. He is mentioned in the biographies of several leading Labour politicians who 

were his contemporaries. In Barry Gustafson ' s From the Cradle to the Grave, he is 

described as Savage' s close friend .29 In Keith Sinclair' s, Walter Nash, Jordan is 

characterised as someone Nash often had trouble with in London during the l 940' s.30 

In P.J. O' Farrell ' s Harry Holland, some of Jordan ' s early Labour Party activity 

24 Malcolm Templeton, An Eye, An Ear And a Voice: 50 Years in New Zealand's External Relations /943-
1993, Wellington: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 1993, p. 93. 
25 Malcolm Templeton, Top Hats are not being Taken: A Short History of the New Zealand Legation in 
Moscow, /944-1950, Wellington: New Zealand Institute of International Affairs in conjunction with the 
Ministry of External Relations and Trade, 1989, p. 10. 
26 Ian C. McGibbon (ed.), Undiplomatic Dialogue: letters Between Carl Berendsen and Alister McIntosh 
1943-52, Auckland: Auckland University Press, 1993 and Ian C. McGibbon (ed.), Unofficial Channels: 
Letters Between Alister McIntosh and Foss Shanahan, George laking and Frank Corner, /946-1966, 
Wellington: Victoria University Press, 1999. 
27 McGibbon, Unofficial Channels, p. 69. Alister McIntosh was in the Prime Minister's Department from 
1935-66 being permanent head from 1945-66. He was Secretary of External Affairs 1943-66. 
28 McGibbon, Unofficial Channels, p. 43. A wider perspective on New Zealand's diplomacy is featured in 
New Directions in New Zealand Foreign Policy edited by Hyam Gold and New Zealand in World Affairs, 
Volume I both of which briefly record facets of Jordan's involvement in New Zealand's diplomacy, the 
latter stating that New Zealand's official approach [through Jordan] was often in support of British foreign 
policy. W. David McIntyre, ' Labour Experience in Foreign Policy' in Hyam Gold (ed.), New Directions in 
New Zealand Foreign Policy, Auckland: Benton Ross Publishers, 1985. and W. David McIntyre, 'Peter 
Fraser's Commonwealth: New Zealand and the Origins of the New Commonwealth in the 1940's' in New 
Zealand in World Affairs, Volume I, Wellington: Price Milburn, 1977 
29 Gustafson, From the Cradle to the Grave, p. 285. 
3° Keith Sinclair, Walter Nash, Auckland: Auckland University Press, 1976, p. 246. 



10 

reflected his independence, with O'Farrell noting that Jordan voted for a Bill in 

Parliament in 1923 which all other Labour MP's opposed.31 The three separate 

biographies of Peter Fraser written by James Thorn, Margaret Clark, and Michael 

King and Michael Bassett all mention Jordan.32 Bassett and King note Jordan's 

volatile behaviour, "Fraser even persisted with Jordan in London who was becoming a 

trial to the high commission staff and picked a fight with Nash every time he was 

there". 33 John A. Lee devotes a small section to Jordan in Rhetoric at the Red Dawn, 

which details some interesting political anecdotes including one of Jordan throwing 

some early Labour Party election literature in a ditch.34 As generally biography 

effectively trains the spotlight on its subject, Jordan, perhaps not unexpectedly, 

receives no in-depth analysis in the biographies of his colleagues. Jordan is only really 

mentioned in passing. 

Labour Party history occasionally mentions Jordan although he features as a figure of 

lesser significance than most of the Party's leaders. Barry Gustafson's Labour 's Path 

to Political lndependence35 and Bruce Brown's The Rise of New Zealand Labour36 

provide a comprehensive analysis of the history of the Labour Party in New Zealand. 

Gustafson notes Jordan's religious affiliations in the chapter on religion and Labour.37 

Brown mentions Jordan briefly, four times in his entire book. One mention is at the 

League Assembly where he suggests Jordan faithfully and forthrightly advocated the 

views held by the leaders of his Party. 38 Although Jordan is included in these Labour 

Party histories, understandably the authors' aim was to provide a history of the Party 

itself and not an analysis of the individuals which made up the Party. Brown does, 

however, identify Holland, Savage, Fraser and Nash as standing out above the rest, 

31 P.J. O'Farrell, Harry Holland: Militant Socialist, Canberra: Australian National University, 1964, p. 131. 
32 James Thorn, Peter Fraser, London: Odhams Press, 1952; Margaret Clark (ed.), Peter Fraser: Master 
Politician, Palmerston North: Dunmore Press, 1998; Michael Bassett and Michael King, Tomorrow Comes 
The Song: A Life of Peter Fraser, Auckland: Penguin, 2000. 
33 Bassett and King, p. 314. 
34 John A. Lee, Rhetoric at the Red Dawn, Auckland: Collins, 1965. Ch. 13. 
35 Barry Gustafson, Labour's Path to Politicial Independence: The Origins and Establishment of the New 
Zealand Labour Party, 1900-1919, Auckland: Auckland University Press, 1980. 
36 Bruce Brown, The Rise of New Zealand Labour: A History of the New Zealand Labour Party from 1916 
to 1940, Wellington, Price Milburn, 1962. 
37 Gustafson, Labour 's Path to Political Independence, Ch. 11. 
38 Brown, p. 183. 



11 

which, perhaps unintentionally, relegates Jordan to a secondary and therefore less 

analysed tier within the Party.39 Analysis of this lesser tier is long overdue within 

Labour Party historiography. 

New Zealand labour history has focused significant attention on militant trade union 

activity and industrial action. For example Erik Olssen examined the activity of the 

Red Feds and the Federation of Labour from 1908-1913.40 Jordan, although a 

noteworthy Labour Party personality, was not from a trade union background and not 

involved in industrial militancy. Rather, he belonged to a somewhat less popularised 

area of Labour Party ideology which has loosely been defined as the 'moderate ' 

faction. When discussing some neglected aspects of the labour movement's ideology 

Jack Vowles suggested, "Until about 1913 most historians acknowledge that the 

labour movement was divided ideologically and structurally between so-called 

'militant ' and 'moderate' tendencies".41 He argues that different political and 

ideological contexts of Labour Party development have not been adequately 

appreciated by historians, which may account for some lack of early analysis of 

' moderates ' in the secondary sources. 

Biographical Structure 

Historians have also experienced many practical problems, with regard to the 

biographical genre, some of which are outlined in secondary literature.42 Hard 

decisions need to be made about reconstruction, selection of material, analysis of 

motive and cause, and the structure itself. How should a biography be structured? 

39 Brown, p. 222. 
40 Erik Olssen, The Red Feds: Revolutionary Industrial Unionism and the New Zealand Federation of 
Labour, Auckland: Oxford University Press, 1988. P.J. O 'Farrell, Harry Holland: Militant Socialist. 
Bert Roth, Trade Unions in New Zealand: Past and Present, Wellington: Reed Education, 1973. 
41 Jack Vowles, ' From Syndicalism to Guild Socialism: Some Neglected Aspects of the Ideology of the 
Labour Movement, 1914-1923 ' in John E. Martin and Kerry Taylor (eds.) Culture and the Labour 
Movement: Essays in New Zealand Labour History, Palmerston North: Dunmore Press, 1991, p. 283 . The 
militant/moderate term has been widely used amongst historians. See Brown, p. 8 and Gustafson, Labour's 
Path to Political Independence, p. 24. 
42 See Ira Bruce Nadel, Biography: Fiction, Fact and Form, London: MacMillian Press, 1984 and Liz 
Stanley, The Auto/biographical/: The Theory and Practice of Feminist Auto/biography, Manchester: 
Manchester University Press, 1992. 



12 

According to strict chronology or by combining thematic and chronological 

approaches? Initially, a biography defined in a conventional way, as the presenting of 

a realistic life story shaped by chronology and the passing of time, appealed to me as 

an approach to Jordan's life. Liz Stanley, however, suggests that following the 

biographical subject in a linear and chronological way effectively trains a spotlight on 

them and them alone.43 The effect is that everyone else this person knew is thereby 

made to have only a shadowy existence. There is some truth in this position. For 

example, in Bassett and King's biography of Peter Fraser, his colleagues are indeed 

sometimes obscure. Fraser himself is anything but obscure. The author suggests that 

he was "as much the Labour movements shepherd as its advocate; his capacity to 

control and manage the sometimes chaotic cross-currents within the wider Labour 

movement was unequalled".44 With the spotlight on them the biographical subject can 

assume pre-eminence in some instances. The genre of biography can, therefore, distort 

the interpretation of the past privileging the role of the subject. For example, Barry 

Gustafson, in discussing the financial policy of the Labour Party states, 

Savage, though not as critical as Holland, who believed Social Credit's 
solution 'would mean disastrous inflation' had serious reservations and joined 
Holland in stating publicly that the Labour Party 'does not accept the Douglas 
scheme'.45 

Whereas Bassett and King argue, 

As they searched to define policy in a way that would eventually inspire a 
generation of New Zealanders, Fraser and Holland had constantly to fight off 
snake-oil salesmen such as communists and social creditors.46 

The subject's pre-eminence is indeed a multi-sided challenge in biography - one 

which is not easily resolved. Also, the role of the author can be as much a contributory 

factor in the subjects predominance as the genre itself. Another factor can be the 

subject who leaves behind evidence privileging the way he/she wants to be 

43 Stanley, p. 9. 
44 Bassett & King, p.126. 
45 Gustafson, From the Cradle to the Grave, p. 147. 
46 Bassett & King, p. 119. 



13 

remembered. This was indeed an issue with Jordan who left behind an evidence trail 

that was substantial and compelling. 

The essence of biography is indeed to focus attention on the subject, however, I was 

mindful, when I commenced writing, not to bring Jordan forward into a position of 

undue prominence, which at the same time relegated all others around him into 

obscurity. Although I have chosen Jordan because he appeared a distinctive character, 

marked out by his individualism, the research is not driven by analysis which strives to 

impress upon the reader Jordan's greatness. However, the objective of not highlighting 

Jordan's prominence was easier to achieve than the inclusion of the supporting cast, 

for example, Jordan's family and colleagues. The genre, in my opinion, did in fact 

bring Jordan forward in the thesis at the expense of others around him. Another 

objective of this study was to set Jordan's views and opinions within the general social 

and political contexts of his time. Additionally, this proved difficult to achieve as the 

biographical structure, in which the dominant focus was on Jordan, often overrode my 

intentions. However, this research does aim to present Jordan in a more rounded way, 

pushing against the boundaries of the genre to include, where appropriate, his family, 

some of his contemporaries and some examination of the social and political context 

of the time, although the main focus remains on Jordan.47 

In his discussion on how biographies are composed Bruce Nadel suggests the form or 

way biography is written is just as important as the content.48 He suggests that in order 

to achieve 'completeness' biographers need to examine biography's narrative 

strategies to gain greater awareness of the complexity and richness of biographical 

form.49 For example, Nadel suggests emphasis on causality rather than chronology, 

configuration instead of detail, and significance instead of information, as strategies 

that can articulate the inner life of the subject. However, human lives are never the 

same nor is the evidence they leave behind complete. There is merit in differing 

biographical strategies such as both causality and chronology with one sometimes 

. 
47 Susan Grogan, Flora Tristan: life Stories, London: Routledge, 1998, p. 11. 
48 Nadel, p. I . 
49 Nadel, p. 7. 



14 

having to substitute for the other due to a lack of evidence. Therefore, as each 

individual or biography is different and dependent on available evidence, biographical 

techniques should be selected for the subject and not be imposed with uniformity 

whereby the technique seems to override the biography itself. Susan Grogan has 

pointed out that "lives do not have the neat trajectory, the logic and wholeness, which 

the biographer generally aspires to achieve, but personalities, 'selves' are fragmented 

and shifting rather than unitary and coherent, defying any biographical aspiration to 

identify the real person".50 Grogan favours Liz Stanley' s suggestion that we look at 

lives ' kaleidoscopically' rather than microscopically. 51 In her study of Flora Tristan, 

Grogan highlighted a variety of ways in which her subject represented herself to the 

world by presenting her life as a series of themes. Initial research for this thesis 

suggested that there was debate about the nature of Jordan's personality and that he 

assumed different personae in different situations. Therefore, exploring themes as a 

way of structuring Jordan ' s Ii fe rather than the passage of time appeared an exciting 

way of studying his life. 

The constraints of the Masters thesis itself also impacted on the approach. It appeared 

questionable as to whether the word limit would be able to accommodate a detailed 

chronological analysis of Jordan ' s life. The thematic approach in which the most 

prominent patterns in Jordan ' s life were examined could be accommodated within the 

boundaries of a thesis. Following Grogan's lead, the narrative strategy in this 

biography is kaleidoscopic. It seeks to change the angles of vision on Jordan, to see 

new patterns in Jordan ' s life as well as providing new ways of interpreting his life. 

The title of this thesis also echoes Grogan' s emphasis on multiple life stories. 

Although we may not be able to grasp the ' real' William Jordan we can glimpse an 

historical figure assuming a variety of guises, an image shifting as we change our 

perspective. 

This thesis is therefore not organised in a chronological structure as may be expected 

of a biography but is centred on a series of themes which have appeared most 

50 Grogan, p. I 0. 
5 1 Stanley, Ch. 6. 



15 

prominently and which reflect the patterns most prevalent in Jordan's life. Three 

prominent themes have been selected through a complex interaction between my role 

as author shaping and forming Jordan's life story and perceived 'real' patterns visible 

in the sources. These have formed the basis of Chapters two, three and four while 

Chapter one gives the reader a chronological overview of Jordan's life. Chapter two 

explores Jordan's enduring representations of himself as working class. Also 

examined in this chapter is the 'search for respect', a characteristic that is often linked 

with the working class and which, for Jordan, was seemingly reformed later in life into 

a desire for higher honours. This Chapter reflects some tension between Jordan's own 

representation and the 'reality' of the life. Chapter three considers Jordan in his best­

known persona as an independent man, independence was represented both as a 

personal characteristic and a trait of his Party's political and diplomatic positions. 

However, amidst the dominant independent persona are notions of interdependence 

and dependence, the boundaries between them, at times, seemingly blurred. Jordan's 

religion was so all-pervasive that it informed all aspects of his life, consequently it is 

the theme of Chapter four. How religion engaged with his other life interests such as 

politics is the focus of this chapter and how echoes ofreligion manifest into other 

characteristics such as his humanitarianism. In this chapter Jordan's representation and 

the reality I have suggested are much more closely aligned than in the previous two 

chapters. These themes are not the only ones in Jordan's life but appear consistently 

during in his lifetime. 

The use of themes has also been beneficial, as it has allowed some exploration of 

change and continuity over time. Rather than pursuing a simple chronology from birth 

to death this study is multi-chronological, tracing a series of life experiences, which 

overlap and interlock.52 Each chapter presents Jordan from a different angle. In 

pursuing Jordan's life stories this study thus retraces the chronological ground several 

times, but each time with a different focus. Events and characters may feature briefly 

in one chapter only to be explored in detail in a later one, and the same event may be 

examined several times from different perspectives. The chapters provide a layered 

52 Grogan, p-. 12. 



16 

approach to his life, offering a multi-dimensional image of their subject.53 The aim of 

this research is to uncover what Teresa llles describes as "all sides of the subject" 54 or 

at least some of them and to emphasise the multiple dimensions of William Jordan's 

story. 

It must be noted, however, that the multi-dimensional images of Jordan's life are 

limited to the evidence that survives which sometimes inhibits a complete 

chronological overview. The traces left of Jordan's life are inevitably incomplete, 

fragments of a rich and complex life. 55 Therefore, within the chapters there are gaps, 

from a chronological viewpoint, as a result of no visible evidence or simply 

fluctuating human experience. Some of the evidence cannot be simply divided into 

neat categories. A danger of separating evidence into thematic strands is to isolate it 

from its original or surrounded context. It is apparent that some experiences could 

easily be placed in more than one chapter; therefore occasionally evidence itself is 

retraced and revisited to provide either insight or context, as is the chronological 

ground, although each time from a different perspective. 

Sources 

Notwithstanding this, the project was largely based on a voluminous collection of 

primary source material which has been preserved and is in the possession of Mrs 

Winnie Jordan, the daughter-in-law of William Jordan, who lives in Auckland. The 

collection comprises a large number of photographs, including both private family 

photographs spanning Jordan's entire life and numerous publicity photographs, which 

portray Jordan enacting his duties as High Commissioner overseas. The collection also 

contains several large scrapbooks of newspaper cuttings as well as magazine articles 

and numerous loose newspaper cuttings all of which are dated and referenced. The 

newspaper detail is extensive covering the entire span of his public life. 

Complementing this is a considerable amount of private and public correspondence. In 

53 Grogan, p. 12. 
54 The title of a book by Teresa Illes, All Sides of the Story: Women and Biography, New York: Teachers 
College Press, 1992. 
55 Grogan, p. 215. 



17 

addition there are a large quantity of speech notes also covering substantial periods of 

his public life. There are also a number of recordings from the Sound Archives, one an 

interview entitled ' Portrait from Life ' in which Jordan reflects on his life, a valuable 

point of reference. Winnie Jordan gave me unlimited and unrestricted access to the 

collection and was very helpful and enthusiastic about the project. 

ln addition, Winnie Jordan also made available a bound, unpublished volume of 

Jordan ' s memoirs written in the 1950s. Also available was the original handwritten 

draft of the first twenty pages of the memoirs. The memoirs largely focus on the early 

part of Jordan ' s life, his boyhood in London, his arrival in New Zealand and his time 

as an MP, concluding at the outbreak of war in I 939. Jordan notes here that he 

received a request to write his life story although it is unclear who instigated this 

request. Correspondence did reveal, however, that in October 1953, Harraps, a London 

publishing firm , would give no firm commitment for the memoi rs publication.56 In 

July 1956 Jordan had also written to Odhams Press in London regarding the 

publishing of his life story, however they also would make no firm commitment to 

publish wanting, understandably, to read a manuscript.57 Much of the information in 

the thesis outlining Jordan ' s childhood and early life has been gleaned from the 

memoirs. 

Additionally, I interviewed Winnie Jordan who had particular recollections and 

insights regarding the family however, I was mindful that Mrs Jordan only knew 

William Jordan in the last few years of his life and any early memories had been 

relayed by her husband. They were in effect conveyed family stories rather than 

simple unmediated ' fact ' . I also interviewed Dr. Gwen Douglas, Jordan 's only living 

child, over the telephone in her home in London. She provided a great deal of personal 

information about Jordan and introduced another intimate perspective which was 

unobtainable elsewhere, although she herself admitted many of her recollections 

56 Alan Mitchell to Jordan, 14 October 1953 "Harraps [are] not prepared to enter into a contract until they 
have seen manuscript", Sir William Jordan Papers A-178, Box 1 Folder 3, Auckland University Library. 
57 Odhams Press Ltd (Book Department) to Jordan, 12 July 1956, WJC. 



18 

may be weighted in Jordan's favour due to her close family connection with him. I had 

conversations prior and subsequent to the interviews with both women which often 

clarified and added to the earlier information and have drawn on them where 

appropriate. 

This project is also based on public archival material. At the Auckland University 

Library there is a selection of Jordan's papers ranging from ea 1920-1955. These were 

donated by his wife upon his death in 1959 and encompass material largely from the 

time of his second marriage in 1952 although there is some significant early material 

such as political scrapbooks. The Auckland University Library also holds the records 

of the Auckland Labour Representation Committee during some of Jordan's time as an 

MP. The Alexander Turnbull Library in Wellington hold the papers of Sir Alister 

McIntosh, Secretary of the Department of External Affairs, which focus on New 

Zealand ' s evolving diplomatic service of which Jordan was a part. McIntosh ' s 

voluminous correspondence with New Zealand's entire diplomatic staff provided 

insights into New Zealand ' s response to major international events, for example, the 

Paris Peace conference of 1946 which featured Jordan. The often-frank exchanges 

provided a candid perspective on Jordan in many instances. The McIntosh papers 

sketched Jordan's diplomatic career and supplemented the more personal record of 

Jordan 's life found in Auckland. 

Other material at the Alexander Turnbull Library included the papers of historian Bert 

Roth which provided biographical information on Labour Party identities including 

Jordan; the papers of Richard Mitchelson Campbell who served ten years in New 

Zealand House, London, during Jordan's tenure; the papers of Sidney George Holland, 

Prime Minister for the last two years of Jordan's tenure and the New Zealand National 

Party Papers whose file entitled 'High Commissioner' held newspaper clippings on 

Jordan. The papers of the Labour Party provided valuable information on Jordan's 

early Labour Party activity, which were also supplemented by the Labour Party 

Conference Reports during Jordan's time as an MP. The P.J. O'Farrell papers also 

provided material on early Labour activity, which included correspondence from 

Jordan and covered the activity of the Parliamentary Labour Party. 



19 

At the National Archives the Prime Minister's series held early correspondence from 

Jordan to Savage and then to Fraser. The External Affairs series also had 

correspondence from Jordan regarding issues at the League of Nations such as Italy' s 

invasion of Abyssinia, civil war in Spain and Japanese aggression in China. The 

papers of Sir Walter Nash had correspondence with and concerning Jordan. Also 

invaluable at the National Archives were immigrant-shipping lists through which 

Jordan's arrival in New Zealand in 1904 could be verified. And the embarkation lists 

of troop ships allowed verification of Jordan's record of service, departure date and 

return to New Zealand during the first World War. 

The National Archive in Auckland provided a copy of Jordan's last will and testament 

and the Personnel Archives of the New Zealand Defence Force provided Jordan ' s 

army service record. Sound Archives in Christchurch provided several radio 

broadcasts from Jordan and also an interview, which was recorded in the last few 

years of his life. The New Zealand Methodist Church Archive, also in Christchurch, 

provided some early material on Jordan ' s involvement with the Methodist Church in 

Wellington . The Hocken Library in Dunedin holds the papers of some prominent early 

Labour Party identities such as J.T. Paul , A.P. McCarthy and E.J. Howard in which 

there was some interesting correspondence from Jordan. 

Although Winnie Jordan ' s collection contained a vast amount of newspapers cuttings, 

the New Zealand Herald and the Auckland Star supplemented these, on occasion, as 

Jordan was an Auckland MP they contained the most local reference to him. The 

Dominion and the Evening Post were also consulted and compared for reports of 

Jordan overseas. The Maori/and Worker and the Standard, which were official organs 

of the Labour Party were also used to assess Labour Party opinion. The New Zealand 

Methodist Times was used to cover Jordan's religious connections and The Vanguard 

used to provide insights into Jordan' s Temperance activity. London and British 

newspapers and magazines such as the Times, Daily Mirror, and others too numerous 



20 

to recount individually, also provided clippings and articles on Jordan which are in 

Mrs Jordan's possession. 

The primary sources are the crystals which have provided the images for the 

kaleidoscopic views of Jordan ' s life seen in Chapters two, three and four - The 

Working Class Man, The Independent Man and the Man of Religion. However, to aid 

the reader, a chronological outline of Jordan ' s life, Chapter one, precedes the thematic 

chapters. 



21 

Chapter One 

"The most human of men?": Jordan -The Chronological Life.58 

There have been no previous extended biographies of William Jordan - this thesis is 

the first attempt to extensively document his story. However, the remnants left by a 

life are inevitably incomplete when compared to the labyrinth of the life itself.59 It was 

indeed the complexity of Jordan's life that instigated the thematic approach to this 

thesis whereby the multiple dimensions of William Jordan ' s life could be more readily 

explored. However, we live our lives chronologically and as the actual sequence of 

past events in Jordan ' s life may not be well known, before the reader delves into the 

multiplicity of Jordan ' s story, dates and events in order of occurrence are presented as 

a chronological overview. 

William Joseph Jordan was born on the 19th of May, 1879, in Ramsgate, a seaport 

town on the Kentish coast of England.60 His father, Captain William Jordan, born on 

the 3rd ofNovember 1851 , was a fisherman who went to sea at the age of twelve. He 

received no formal education but learned to read and write while on the ocean.61 

Figure 1: Captain William Jordan is pictured in 1922 aged seventy-one. 

58 Berendsen, 'Reminiscences of an ambassador' , MS-Papers-6759-463, p. 170. 
59 Grogan, p. 215. 
60 The Times, London, 9 April 1959. 
61 Interview with Gwen Douglas, 3 June 2003. 



22 

Jordan's paternal grandfather was a farm labourer at Northdown near Margate, who 

could not read or write. He worked six days a week, and when he was too old to work 

in the fields he was provided for by his employer in a retirement home.62 Jordan ' s 

mother was Elizabeth Ann Catt, her family had lived in Kent for several generations, 

and were an established fishing family. 

Figure 2: Jordan with his mother, aged eighty-fo ur, in 1936. 

Jordan ' s maternal grandfather, Captain Joseph Catt, owned fi shing boats and pleasure 

yachts. Jordan said that his uncles and grandfather, as well as his father, were all 

fishermen who also doubled as lifeboat crew that went to ships in distress on the 

Godwin Sands.63 

Jordan was the third child in a family of four, having two elder sisters and one 

younger. Gwen Douglas, Jordan's daughter does not recall the name of his eldest sister 

only knowing her as Auntie Tot.64 The second sister's given name was Annie, 

although Jordan noted that the family called her Nancy.65 The youngest sister was 

named Elizabeth, Gwen recalls her as Auntie Li. 

62 William Joseph Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs' , unpaginated, dated 18 July 1954, WJC. 
63 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 
64 lnterview with Gwen Douglas, 3 June 2003. 
65 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs ' . 



23 

The coming of the steam trawler instigated a decline in the local fishing industry and 

as a consequence the family moved to London in the early 1880's, experiencing the 

urban poverty of the city. Jordan's father found it difficult to find regular employment 

and the family moved several times depending on their ability to pay the rent. They 

generally lived in the East End districts of Hoxton and St. Luke's. Jordan remarked, 

"sometimes the only water tap was in the washhouse in the back yard, all the water 

had to be carried upstairs and all the dirty water, ashes and other matter had to be 

carried down".66 Having no oven Jordan recalled the main meal of the week being 

cooked in front of the fire, "the meat being suspended on a cord from the mantelpiece, 

one member of the family kept it turning and basting it from a basin below it, the 

potatoes boiled on the fire". 67 Places of his youth remained close to Jordan's heart 

throughout his life, "[After WWII] I was proud when the Borough Council invited me 

to declare open a large block of flats which was named 'Jordan House' ... they were in 

the Hoxton district of Shored itch, near to where I lived when a boy".68 

Figure 3: Jordan, the tenants, and the flats that bore his name. 

66 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 
67 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 
68 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 



24 

The family attended St. Luke's Methodist Parish Church in Old Street, with Jordan 

receiving his only formal education at St. Luke's Parochial School (which was 

attached to the Church). Known in Jordan's time as St. Luke's Poor School it was also 

attended by his sister Nancy, "my sister and I were fortunate as children to be admitted 

to St. Luke's".69 Clothing and boots were provided for a large number of children. 

Jordan recalled wearing an old fashioned blue uniform that included long trousers and 

a jacket with a button at the collar.70 

Figure 4: Jordan in uniform at St. Luke's school, he is in the middle of the third row with his hand on 
another boy's head. 

There were jobs at the school for which some of the children were paid. Jordan 

worked as a fire boy, carrying the coals from the cellar to the various fireplaces, for 

which he received 6d a week, with a penny for firewood. Jordan passed through the 

classes into the seventh standard and left school at the age of twelve.71 

69 'Portrait from Life- Sir William Jordan', Media No. 1013.1, Series No. TAL 939, Radio New Zealand 
Sound Archives, Christchurch. 
70 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 
71 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 



25 

On leaving school his first job was as an errand boy with a manufacturing jeweller in 

1892. After less than a year he left to become an apprentice coach painter for 

Liversidge and Son who built wagons for Carter, Paterson and Company, a large 

London cartage firm. 72 The firm was next door to his school in Old Street. The job 

paid more, "6/- a week, an advance of 1 /6 on the previous job ... it was a highly skilled 

trade".73 Yet working conditions were poor. The coach painting was done in a closely 

shut workshop, which was badly lit and poorly ventilated. Many of the men suffered 

from white lead poisoning.74 Jordan worked in Old Street for several years after which 

he himself developed white lead poisoning and was compelled to leave the trade after 

completing the apprenticeship. 

Jordan joined the London postal service in 1897, initially as a labourer at the Post and 

Telegraph factory at Mount Pleasant, Clerkenwell.75 After a few months he was 

appointed to the painting staff, painting telephone call cabinets, instrument panels and 

other Post Office gear. The conditions at the factory were much better than the coach 

factory, it was better ventilated, had set hours, a good rate of pay plus holidays. Within 

a few years, after several retirements and resignations, Jordan became the senior man 

in charge of the department. 

Although initially safe and secure in civil service employment Jordan gradually 

developed a feeling he later described as "a wanderlust, a dissatisfaction or an 

ambition" which lead him to make a further career move.76 In 1903 he joined the 

London Metropolitan Police, thinking the job would be more interesting and active.77 

It was also out of the enclosed factories, he was dealing with the affairs of people and 

seeing them go their respective ways. He lived in a barracks at Kennington and 

received his training at Scotland Yard and Wellington Barracks. He was first posted to 

the Limehouse district and later to Forest Gate. Despite the attraction of the new job 

72 New Zealand Herald, 8 April 1938, WJC. 
73 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 
74 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. Dry white lead was used in some of the paints and inhaled by the mixer. 
75 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 
76 'Portrait from Life- Sir William Jordan'. 
77 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 



26 

he recalled that the feeling of discontent persisted. He quickly found the beat 

monotonous. As a result he decided to emigrate to New Zealand. 

On the 22nd of September 1904 Jordan sailed from Gravesend on board the Corinthic, 

a Shaw Savill and Albion ship.78 The ship carried six hundred and twenty six 

passengers, five hundred and fifty-five of English descent, thirty-three Scots and 

thirty-eight Irishmen.79 As an assisted immigrant Jordan travelled third class, he listed 

his occupation as painter. In London he was told that his trade would be desirable in 

his new country.80 The ship' s Inward Manifest records the arrival date in New Zealand 

as 12 November 1904.81 

The advice about the utility of his trade was overstated; he was initially rejected for a 

painting job in Wellington.82 As a consequence Jordan travelled to the Pohangina 

Valley in the Manawatu in pursuit of work. He worked in the Valley for nearly a year 

doing a variety of jobs, including clearing bush, initially weeding dog-tail grass that 

was sown in the ash after the forest area had been felled of trees, left to dry and then 

burnt. He milked cows, took part in a stumping contract, painted a farm house and 

outbuildings, planted pine trees, worked with a chaff cutter, picked up fleeces in a 

shearing shed, made fences, spread metal on the road, and any other available work. 83 

Jordan then moved to the Nelson district where he was offered six months painting 

work in the railway workshops. At the end of this time he was offered a more 

permanent job at the big railway works at Petone but states in his memoirs that he 

preferred to stay in Nelson, " it was pleasant living in Nelson, [I] was there when they 

celebrated the Centenary of the Battle of Trafalgar [21 October 1805)" .84 In Nelson he 

joined the Good Templars Lodge, a temperance movement, and was soon asked to 

78 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs ' . 
79 Passenger Lists October to December 1904, Micro - T5372, SS 1/481-SS 1/497, NA. 
80 'Portrait from Life - Sir William Jordan'. 
81 Although the ship's manifest records the arrival date as 12 November 1904, in his memoirs Jordan 
records the date as 9 November 1904. 
82 Jordan, ' Untitled Memoirs ' . 
83 Jordan, ' Untitled Memoirs'. 
84 Jordan, ' Untitled Memoirs'. 



27 

speak to the members, perhaps the beginning of his public speaking career. Due to 

trade falling off in Nelson single men with no ties in the district were advised to leave 

to find work elsewhere. Jordan left Nelson for Wellington on the steamship Penguin. 85 

During 1906, Jordan, now resident in Wellington, joined the Primitive Methodist 

Church in Webb Street. He also became involved in politics, joining the Independent 

Political Labour League in 1907 .86 In 1908 Jordan first appears on the electoral roll for 

Wellington Central, his occupation listed as painter and his address at 21 Walter 

Street,87 a boarding house where he lived for several years.88 In 1910 Jordan joined the 

newly established Wellington City Men's Brotherhood, a subsidiary of the Wellington 

Methodist Central Mission, and on 4 th August 1910 he was elected secretary of the 

Brotherhood. 89 The Brotherhood was a Sunday afternoon gathering for men whose 

objectives included assisting all movements for moral and social reform. 

In September 1910 Jordan was a founding member of the Wellington Main Branch of 

the United Labour Party. He was appointed secretary/treasurer until the permanent 

officers were elected. In January 1911 he was elected to the Executive Committee.90 

Jordan's first foray into local politics was as a labour candidate in the Wellington City 

municipal elections in April 1911. He was among eight labour candidates however, 

only two were elected.91 Jordan was unsuccessful, polling sixth out of the eight 

candidates, and twenty-third out of the thirty-six candidates.92 

During his time in Wellington Jordan was elected to the Executive of the New Zealand 

Temperance Alliance93 and in May 1911 went to Waihi as an unpaid Temperance 

organiser and speaker in Ohinemuri district. Jordan had agreed to go there for a three-

85 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 
86 Gustafson, From the Cradle to the Grave, p. 285 . 
87 Wellington Central Electoral Roll 1908, WTU. 
88 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs' . 
89 New Zealand Methodist Times, 13 August 1910. Photocopy supplied by The Methodist Church of New 
Zealand Archive, Christchurch. 
90 Minute Book of the United Labour Party (Wellington Main Branch), MSX-2792, WTU. 
91 Evening Post, 27 April 1911. 
92 Evening Post, 27 April 1911. 
93 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 



28 

month period before the license poll took place. In the 1911 electoral roll he is 

registered in 'Ohinemuri', his occupation is recorded as painter and his address at 

Kenny-Street, Waihi.94 

Due to a lack of employment in Waihi Jordan soon moved again, this time to 

Wanganui where he worked for a while as a painter and later started his own business 

with a partner, Charles Leigh.95 Jordan was soon active as a Bible class leader at the 

Dublin Street Methodist Church in Wanganui.96 During April 1912 he was Wanganui 

delegate to the Unity Conference in Wellington.97 The New Zealand Herald noted, 

"Mr W.J. Jordan (Wanganui) commended the spirit which had dominated the 

deliberations of the conference. The prevailing note had been 'come let us reason 

together' and he believed that the same feeling would guide the future policy of the 

Labour Party".98 In July 1912 he was a vice-president of the Wanganui Branch of the 

United Labour Party.99 

In April 1913, Jordan was still based in Wanganui but working out of Ngaruawahia, 

painting, and living in a tent. 100 Despite intentions to the contrary he did not return to 

Wanganui, instead he returned to Waihi and established a painting business with Bert 

Waite. 101 Although he had a fair business in Waihi he moved to Ngaruawahia soon 

afterwards, "a friend built a house in Ngaruawahia and wishing to see yet another part 

of New Zealand I undertook to do the painting and paperhanging, and so went to that 

town". 102 In Ngaruawahia Jordan and a friend Albert Brewer set up a painting and 

paperhanging business, Jordan and Brewer. 103 

94 Ohinemuri Electoral Roll 1911, WTU. 
95 Wanganui Herald, 23 November 1945, WJC. 
96 Wanganui Herald, 23 November 1945, WJC. 
97 United Labour Party-Research notes and records 1909-1913, Bert Roth Papers, 94-106-15/07, WTU. 
98 New Zealand Herald, 13 April 1912. 
99 C. Leigh to A. P. McCarthy, 29 July 1912, A. P. McCarthy Papers MS-0963, Folder 4, DU:HO. 
100 Jordan to McCarthy, 3 April 1913, A.P. McCarthy Papers MS-0963, Folder 7, DU:HO. 
101 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. ln the 1914 Ohinemuri electoral roll Bertram Waite is registered at Martha 
Street, Waihi, occupation painter and decorator. 
102 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 
103 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. Jordan does not specify in his memoirs how he knew Albert Brewer. 
Brewer is on the Raglan electoral roll in 1919, his address Riverdale, Ngaruawahia, his occupation painter. 
Jordan's friendship with Brewer was long standing; when he died he left Brewer twenty pounds in his will. 



29 

Figure 5: Jordan outside his paints hop, he is on the right with his foot on the ladder. 

By now he was a practising Methodist lay preacher, and among his hobbies was 

keeping hives of bees. He was an elected member of the Ngaruawahia Town Board. 104 

He was a founding member of the Ngaruawahia Branch of the New Zealand Labour 

Party and became Branch President in December 1916. 105 

In October 1916 Jordan volunteered for war service, and although initially rejected by 

a local doctor who knew of his lead poisoning, a neighbouring doctor accepted him on 

the 16th day of February 1917. 106 He was thirty-seven years old, his height and weight 

recorded as five feet nine inches and 166 lbs respectively. 107 Jordan trained at 

Trentham joining the Canterbury Regiment and was promoted to Corporal on 5 May 

1917 and then to Sergeant on 18 September 1917. 

104 Maori/and Worker, 23 June 1916. 
105 Biographical Summary of William Joseph Jordan in Biographical Notes, Bert Roth Papers, 94-106-
65/04, WTU. 
106 'Attestation For General Service' , William Joseph Jordan No. 54524, Personnel Records (Archives), 
New Zealand Defence Force, Upper Hutt. 
107 'Attestation For General Service'. 



30 

Figure 6: This photograph is dated 26th August 1917 and was taken at Trentham. Jordan is in the front 
row, fourth from left with his Corporal strips. He entitled the photo "a rough old lot" . 

He embarked from Wellington on the Maunganui on 21 November 1917, 

disembarking at Liverpool and arrived at Sling Camp in January 1918. 108 On the 20th 

of March 1918 Jordan left for France and marched into camp at Etaples, joining the 

battle four days later. Jordan's war was short-lived as on the 14th of April he received a 

serious head wound at Ypres, which prevented his return to action. 109 

After Armistice, due to the shortage of shipping, it would be two years before all the 

troops were returned to New Zealand. To keep the men occupied an education wing 

was formed and Jordan joined as a bee-keeping instructor, rising to the rank of warrant 

officer second-class and third-class instructor. 110 He left London on 3 July 1919 on the 

troop ship S.S. Mamari and disembarked in Auckland on 20 August 1919. 111 He 

108 'Statement of Service', William Joseph Jordan No. 54524, Personnel Records (Archives), New Zealand 
Defence Force, Upper Hutt. 
109 'Statement of Service'. 
110 'Statement of Service'. 
111 'Statement of Service'. 



31 

received the customary decorations, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal and 

was discharged from the army in October 1919. 112 

On the 30th of January 1917, prior to his enlistment, Jordan was married at 

Ngaruawahia to Winifred Amy Bycroft, a draper's assistant. 113 Winifred was fifteen 

years his junior, her birthdate was the 3rd of February 1894.114 She was born in 

Grafton, Auckland, educated in Ngaruawahia and was the eldest child of Mr and Mrs 

Louth Bycroft. She had three sisters and two brothers. 11 5 Her grandfather John Bycroft 

immigrated to New Zealand in the early 1840's, and established the first flourmill in 

Auckland.' 16 Her father ' s occupation was also a flour miller. Her two brothers served 

in WWI, the youngest, Roy, was killed on Armistice Day. Winifred was a member of 

the Methodist Church in Ngaruawahia and a Sunday school teacher, the church was 

probably where she and Jordan met. 

While on their honeymoon the Jordans stayed in Wanganui with friends, Fred and 

Sophia Clarke, originally from England.' 17 After the marriage, while Jordan was in 

army training, Winifred lived in Wanganui with the Clarkes. A son, William 

Frederick, was born in Wanganui on the 13th of August 1917. 11 8 Sometime after the 

birth of her son Winifred moved back to her hometown. In 1919 she is recorded on the 

Raglan electoral roll as married and living in Ngaruawahia. 11 9 

112 ' Statement of Service'. 
113 Certified Copy of Marriage Certificate dated 12 July 1984 supplied by Winnie Jordan. 
114 Mrs Winifrid Amy Jordan's passport sighted by author, WJC. 
115 Evening Post, 10 October 1950, WJC. 
116 Evening Post, 10 October 1950, WJC. 
117 Wanganui Herald, 9 October 1950, WJC. 
118 'Attestation For General Service'. 
119 Raglan Electoral Roll 1919, WTU. 



32 

Figure 7: The family just before Jordan sailed for England. The photograph is a rather unconventional 
pose with an emphasis on Jordan's affection for his son. Jordan was obviously willing to be represented 

as a man who has a strong feeling for his family . Also prominent are Jordan 's Sergeant strips on his 
right arm denoting pride in his army rank. 

After the war, due to the effects of the head wound, Jordan did not return to his 

painting business at Ngaruawahia - instead the family moved to Auckland and settled 

at Papatoetoe. Jordan took a job as a honey blender for the New Zealand Honey 

Producers' Association. 120 He became an accomplished grader of honey and always 

remained a firm advocate of its nutritional value. Jordan's second child, Gweneth Jean 

Elizabeth Jordan, was born in Auckland on the 4th of October 1920. 121 In 1921, while 

still a honey blender, Jordan also began working as a storeman in Dalgety's wool 

store. 122 

120 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 
121 Interview with Gwen Douglas, 3 June 2003. 
122 Roskill and Onehunga News, 2 April 1964, WJC. 



33 

Figure 8: The blending tank at the Honey depot in Stanley Street, Auckland ea 1920. Jordan is in the 
overalls. The photograph illustrates the pride he took in the particular blending system, which he 

designed himself. 

At the 1919 general election Jordan contested the Raglan electorate. While he was a 

member of the Labour Party and had the backing of the local branch, he was not 

nationally endorsed and stood as an Independent Labour candidate. He was 

unsuccessful. 123 He stated in his memoirs his candidacy was encouraged by friends in 

Ngaruawahia and the miners in Huntly who were insistent that the seat be contested 

(Ngaruawahia and Huntly were both in the Raglan electorate). 124 

In 1922 Jordan contested the Manukau electorate as the official Labour representative 

and in an election sensation defeated the incumbent, Sir Frederick Lang, the Speaker 

of the House. After Jordan was elected to Parliament the family moved to Onehunga. 

123 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 
124 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 



34 

Figure 9: A family photograph taken ea 1922, possibly after Jordan was elected to Parliament. The 
image is a strong representation of family, primarily focussing on Jordan and the bond with his two 

children. 

The Jordans were recorded on the Manukau electoral roll in 1925 and 1928 as resident 

in Grey Street East. 125 In 1928 they had a house built at 73 Quadrant Road, Onehunga, 

where they lived until 1936. 126 Jordan remained active during this time as a Methodist 

lay preacher and was a trustee of the church at Onehunga. While an MP Jordan was 

also a member of the Board of Governors of the Auckland Grammar School, the 

Auckland Transport Board and the One Tree Hill Domain Board. 127 

Jordan was a popular politician. In the five elections from I 922 to 1935 he increased 

his majority in all but one election, including the 1928 election when he was absent in 

Canada representing New Zealand at the Empire Parliamentary Conference. 128 His 

majorities and total votes polled were among the highest of the Labour politicians in 

125 Manukau General Electoral Rolls 1925 and 1928, WTU. 
126 Interview with Gwen Douglas, 3 June 2003 . 
127 Evening Post, 9 April 1959. 
128 J.T. Paul, Humanism Jn Politics, Wellington: New Zealand Worker, 1946, Appendix F. 



35 

the country. He became known for his independent outlook. 129 Within the Party he 

was often perceived as a conservative resulting largely from his belief that strikes and 

militant unionism were never the answer to the workers' problems. Also his 

occasional vocal support for the Balance/Seddon Liberal administration sometimes 

caused friction with his Labour colleagues. However, this possibly contributed to 

Jordan's popularity amongst conservatives, which John A. Lee remarked was denied 

to other Labour MPs. 130 Jordan remained MP for Manukau from 1922 until 1936. 

During 1932-33 he was also national president of the New Zealand Labour Party. 131 

After the first Labour government was elected to power in 1935 Jordan was appointed 

High Commissioner in London and New Zealand's representative at the League of 

Nations, taking up his appointment on I September 1936. He represented New 

Zealand on the League's council from 1936 to 1939, and was President of the council 

in I 938 for the brief 102nd session. 132 The New Zealand government's independent 

stand on international issues such as the Spanish civil war brought it into conflict with 

British policy, and Jordan into corresponding public prominence. 133 He was known at 

the League for his blunt, down-to-earth manner. 

During the Second World War Jordan became known for his assiduous concern for the 

welfare of New Zealand servicemen and women stationed in Britain. 134 On many 

occasions he lent small sums of money from his own pocket, which were almost 

invariably repaid. He drove hundreds of miles to see and talk with New Zealanders in 

ships, at shore establishments and on operational stations. When he visited New 

Zealand in I 945 he took with him an indexed collection of more than two thousand 

photographs and newspaper clippings, covering personnel in all the services. 135 

129 NZPD, 199 (1923), p. 222. 
130 Lee, Rhetoric at the Red Dawn, p. 83. 
131 Paul, Appendix G. 
132 Templeton, 'Jordan'. 
133 Templeton, 'Jordan'. 
134 Templeton, 'Jordan'. 
135 New Zealand Herald, 9 October 1945, WJC. 



36 

As Jordan's tenure as High Commissioner stretched on he became known as the doyen 

of the Diplomatic Corps in London, being the senior in service of all overseas 

representatives of British Dominions and foreign countries. At the end of WWII he 

signed on behalf of New Zealand, peace treaties with Italy, Bulgaria, Hungary, 

Rumania, Yugoslavia and Finland. He gained a reputation as an after-dinner speaker. 

Lee noted that, "He had a cockney's surface wit, no capacity for irony, but an ability 

instantly to note the incongruity that gives one the belly laugh". 136 When bombs fell 

near his Wimbledon home, Jordan went out to lend a hand. He was asked, "Warden?" 

and replied "No, Jordan. I have got a river named after me".137 

In 1948 Jordan was reappointed for a further three years and when the National 

government was elected in 1949, contrary to all precedents with political 

appointments, he remained in his job for the full length of his term. In May 1950 

Jordan visited New Zealand, he claimed to alert the government to staff pay anomalies 

but also to secure his pension when he retired. 138 When he did retire in August 1951 he 

had been High Commissioner for a record term of fifteen years. His first wife, 

Winifred, had suffered from rheumatic fever as a child and was not generally 

physically strong, her health deteriorating in later years. 139 She died in London in 

October 1950. They had been married thirty-three years. 

136 Lee, Rhetoric at the Red Dawn, p. 84. 
137 Evening Post, 9 April 1959. 
138 Dominion, 27 May 1950, WJC. 
139 Interview with Winnie Jordan, 19 March 2003. 



37 

Figure 10: Jordan with his son, William at the races ea 1948-1950. Jordan is wearing the round, dark 
rimmed glasses which became a trademark in later years. 

Jordan received numerous honours during his lifetime. He was made a Freeman of 

Ramsgate and the City of London. He received honorary LLDs from St. Andrews and 

Cambridge Universities, and was also a Privy Councillor. In the Queen's Birthday 

Honours of 1952 he was made a Knight Commander of St. Michael and St. George 

(K.C.M.G.) for services to the Commonwealth. 



38 

Back in New Zealand, on 1 July 1952 Jordan married Elizabeth Ross Reid, a widow 

with no children, and moved into his wife's property at 26 Riddell Road, St. Heliers. 

His wife had been born in Scotland and had come to New Zealand as a child. They 

had met when she had been on a coach tour of England. 'Leith', as she was known, 

had brilliant blue eyes and was fun to be with. 140 Jordan returned to London several 

times during his retirement, both to see his daughter who became a psychiatrist and 

still lives in Britain, and to renew old acquaintances. He became a director of several 

boards and was a member of the Auckland Power Board from 1953 to December 

1958. He died in Auckland on 8 April 1959. 141 The Sir William Jordan Recreation 

Centre stands in Onehunga today as a lasting testament to Jordan. 

The chronological approach is one way of surveying Jordan's life. However, the 

image shifts as we change our perspective - with only a small movement, Jordan is 

revisioned, a different pattern appears, Jordan - The Working Class Man. 

140 Interview with Winnie Jordan, 19 March 2003. 
141 Evening Post, 9 April 1959. 



39 

Chapter Two 

"He walked with kings but kept the common touch": The Working Class Man 142 

Historian Graeme Dunstall has argued that in estimating social status in an historical 

context, how a man sees himself - the self-conscious label - is our most important 

evidence. 143 William Jordan's lifelong perception of himself was as a working class 

man. In his maiden speech to Parliament in 1923 he declared, "I am speaking for the 

ordinary workers". 144 He was knighted in 1952 but even then maintained, "I am still 

the same man even though I am now a Sir" .145 Erik Olssen suggests that social classes 

are defined by a wide variety of variables such as education, occupation and 

income. 146 Although Jordan constantly portrayed himself as working class, throughout 

his lifetime many variables, singularly and in combination, effectively complicated his 

position within the class itself. This chapter demonstrates a tension between Jordan's 

own working class representation and my perspective of the reality which suggests 

that Jordan, later in his life, moved beyond a working class categorisation. 

The concept of a working class in New Zealand has been much discussed, the notion 

has many vagaries. Melanie Nolan argues that the nationally homogeneous working 

class model is inadequate in New Zealand society between 1880 and 1920.147 James 

Watson also rejects a monolithic working class, asserting that it was clear that there 

were big differences between the experiences and values of different groups amongst 

142 Sid Skinner, 'He walked with kings but kept the common touch' 1979 in William Joseph Jordan, 
Biographical Notes, Bert Roth Papers, 94-106-65/04, WTU . 
143 Commentary by G. Dunstall on Miles Fairburn, 'Social Mobility and Opportunity in Nineteenth Century 
New Zealand', New Zealand Journal of History, Vol. 3, No. I, 1979, pp. 61-62. 
144 NZPD, 199 (1923), p. 225. 
145 Written information supplied by Mrs E. Moore, Mt. Roskill , Auckland. 
146 Erik Olssen, 'The 'Working Class' in New Zealand', New Zealand Journal of History, Vol. 8, No. 1, 
1974, pp. 44-60. See also Erik O~en, Building The New World: Work, Politics and Society in Caversham 
1880s-1920s, Auckland: Auckland University Press, 1995, Ch. 9. 
147 Melanie Nolan, 'Family and Culture: Jack McCullough and the Christchurch Skilled Working Class, 
1880's - 1920's' in John E. Martin and Kerry Taylor (eds.), Culture and the Labour Movement: &says in 
New 'Zealand Labour History, Palmerston North: Dunmore Press, 1991, p. 177. 



40 

those who considered themselves to be working class. 148 He put forward the concept 

of an independent working class in New Zealand, which included small farmers, self­

employed tradesmen, small shopkeepers and skilled workers. 149 Watson claimed all 

these groups placed great emphasis on gaining the largest possible measure of 

economic independence, which often went hand-in-hand with a spirit of intellectual 

independence. Watson also defined the independent working class as having, 

typically, a comparatively low level of formal education, although individuals within 

the class would often read extensively and eclectically, and many would have strong 

views on just about everything. 150 Although, as Watson admits, it is difficult to draw 

lines around social classes, Jordan did possess many of the characteristics of this 

profile ofan independent working class. 151 Arguably Jordan was upwardly mobile in 

New Zealand, raising his status from working class in London to the independent 

working class in New Zealand. This chapter examines Jordan ' s representations of his 

working class status, and features my suggested inclusion of Jordan into the 

independent working class category. 

Although Jordan ' s working class persona is the dominant representation in this 

chapter, a linked characteristic, and one that is often closely associated with the 

working class, is ' the search for respect' . Stevan Eldred-Grigg, in his study of working 

people, discussed both respectable and the disreputable behaviour amongst the 

working class in New Zealand between 1890-1990.152 ln a recent interview Erik 

Olssen wryly noted the conflict over respectability when suggesting generational 

conflict in the 1970s between older Labour Party members in the Caversham branch, 

who strove for acceptance and respect only to see it vanquished by the behaviour of 

148 James Watson, 'An Independent Working Class?' in John E. Martin and Kerry Taylor (eds.), Culture 
And The Labour Movement : Essays in New Zealand labour History, Palmerston North: Dunmore Press, 
1991 , p. 184-196. 
149 Watson, 'An Independent Working Class?' , p. 188. 
150 Watson, 'An Independent Working Class?', p. 188. Stuart Macintyre, in a British context, described 
working class autodidacts as those who ''talked more, read more and possessed a much larger vocabulary 
than their neighbours in general" suggesting they were at the forefront of local life, hard working, 
respectable, and the natural leaders of opinion. Stuart Macintyre, A Proletarian Science: Marxism Jn 
Britain, 1917-1933, London: Lawrence & Wishart, 1986, p. 38. 
151 Watson, 'An independent Working Class?' , p. 189. 
152 Stevan Eldred-Grigg, New Zealand Working People 1890-1990, Palmerston North: Dunmore Press, 
1990, pp. 105-109. 



41 

student radicals. 153 The search for respect is distinct in Jordan's early New Zealand 

life, hence this notion is also investigated. Later in life earlier goals such as 

independence and respectability were reformulated, to some extent, into a desire for 

personal respect and recognition of his achievements. As Jordan does gain higher 

honours how they are reconciled with his own, and his Party's, egalitarian class ideals 

will also be examined. 

The Working Class Cockney 

The founder of the Salvation Army in England, General William Booth described 

London's poor as the 'submerged tenth ' .154 He estimated that of the thirty-one million 

people living in Great Britain, three million could be classified as the poor, homeless, 

and starving. 155 In his memoirs Jordan used this phrase to categorise his London 

childhood, "We are now looking at the London of the submerged tenth where every 

opportunity was taken to earn a few shillings ... my mother agreed to care for a little 

unwanted baby". 156 Although Jordan's family was itself below the poverty line and 

struggled to feed themselves, the child provided an extra income (Jordan's mother 

accepted payment for the child 's care) so was accommodated. 

Jordan said his family lived in a slum, a blind alley in which a dozen houses shared 

one water butt at the end of the alley. Whatever the family could do without was sold 

or pawned during his father's frequent periods of unemployment. There were no 

bathrooms, and clotheslines were in the rooms with the family eating and sleeping 

where wet washing was hanging for most of the week. During one winter he recalled 

living in a second storey room and using the flooring and doors from the vacant first 

floor for fuel. Rubbish collection was irregular, Jordan described the unpleasant 

conditions, "all rubbish was put into that [brick bin], fish heads, winkle shells, potato 

153 Kerry Taylor, 'Writing the Left into the Picture: An Interview with Erik Olssen' in Pat Moloney & 
Kerry Taylor (eds.), On the Left: Essays on Socialism in New Zealand, Dunedin: University ofOtago Press, 
2002, pp. 179-197. 
154 William Booth, In Darkest England and The Way Out, London: McCorquodale & Co Ltd, 1890, Ch. 2 
entitled 'The Submerged Tenth' Part One, pp. 17-23. 
155 Booth, p. 22. 
156 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 



42 

peelings, ashes, everything - usually in the summer it was blown by flies and the 

stench can be imagined". 157 His memoirs are a testament to the very powerful 

impression poverty had on him. 

Jordan said he took with him to New Zealand memories of bitter poverty. Winnie 

Jordan remarked that early poverty, for Jordan, later evoked compassion and not 

bitterness. In her opinion, Jordan had not had the "love crushed out of him" and he did 

not carry a hurt within him, "Sir William never had his nose rubbed in the dirt". 158 

Although poverty was a formative experience in his life it was not dissimilar to many 

of his Labour Party colleagues whose early backgrounds also contained poverty and 

hardship. Gustafson described Michael Joseph Savage's early rural Australian poverty 

as shaping his personality, compassion and later political attitudes. 159 Of Peter Fraser, 

Bassett and King wrote, "Like the inhabitants of most households in the village, the 

Fraser's were poor. .. food was seldom plentiful. .. amongst Fraser's earliest memories 

were hunger" 160 and James Watson described Dan Sullivan's family as comparatively 

poor. 161 For Jordan, poverty was an experience which formulated, in part, 

humanitarian compassion - and which he had in common with many of his Labour 

Party contemporaries. 

Jordan attended St. Luke's Parochial School in London where he received his only 

formal education, his attendance denoting his social class as he said he was sent for 

the benefit of the free education provided. 162 Schooling was then compulsory in 

Britain, in 1880 the Compulsory Attendance Act was passed which made it obligatory 

for all children between 5 and 10 years to attend school fulltime 163 but parents "unless 

necessitous, had still to pay school pence". 164 Jordan noted that when he attended the 

157 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 
158 Interview with Winnie Jordan, 19 March 2003. 
159 Gustafson, From the Cradle to the Grave, p. 7. 
160 Bassett and King, p. 20. 
161 James Watson. 'Sullivan, Daniel Giles 1882-1947'. Dictionary of New Zealand Biography, updated 4 
April 2003 URL: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/ 
16 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 
163 Eric Midwinter, Nineteenth Century Education, London: Longman, 1970, p. 43. 
164 Gordon W. Roderick & Michael D. Stephens, Education and Industry in the Nineteenth Century, 
London: Longman, I 978, p. I 8. 



43 

school it was known as St. Luke's Poor School, "Its now called St. Luke's Parochial 

School - I suppose it sounds better". 165 He was grateful for the opportunity it had 

given him, 

I think of St. Luke's School as highly as any man can think of his Eton, 
Harrow, Winchester, Marlborough, Stowe or any other. The school attended by 
a lad or lass is largely determined by the financial position of the parents; it 
certainly was so in our case, although a man may justly be proud of attending 
one of the great public schools of Britain. 166 

Jordan's will is testament to the importance of St. Luke's in his life and his belief in 

the value of children's education. He bequeathed two hundred Bank of New Zealand 

shares to St. Luke's with Ellington Infant School in Ramsgate and the Ngaruawahia 

Primary School in New Zealand (Winifred Jordan's school) also receiving smaller 

bequests. 167 

In an apparent attempt to transcend class distinction he often asserted that educational 

attendance should not be the sole judge of a man's worth. In a speech to St. George' s 

School in Ramsgate in 1944 Jordan spoke of not letting educational difference inhibit 

ambition, 

We hear of great Schools, Eton, Harrow ... , lads from there go forward 
confident that they have advantages. It is said that the battle of Waterloo 
won on playing fields on one of those schools. You are as good as those 
lads if you think you are. A man is not judged by the school he attended 
but a school, a town, a nation is judged by the men and women who came 
from it or who make it up. 168 

Reflected in the quote is a notion of individualism and his life was a quest to improve 

his own position in society. Jordan was acutely aware of the social class system in 

England, which encompassed educational institutions, however he refused to let this 

be an obstacle. 

165 'Portrait from Life- Sir William Jordan'. 
166 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 
167 Will of William Joseph Jordan, BBAE 1570/p. 932/59, National Archives, Auckland. 
168 Speech Notes, St. George's School Ramsgate 23 November 1944, W JC. The authors own emphasis has 
been used to highlight individualism which demonstrates a link to another of Jordan's personae, The 
Independent Man. 



44 

From the outset Jordan's working life is a testimony to self-improvement. Jordan left 

his first job as a manufacturing jeweller's errand boy to become an apprentice coach 

painter in 1892, "After a while I was able to take a job which offered greater 

prospects" . 169 The move signified early ambition although it is unclear whether this 

was a parental initiative or his own. In the new job he now experienced first hand the 

working conditions prevalent amidst much of the working class in London. He 

describes in his memoirs the closed workshop and the grinding of dry white lead into 

the paint which destroyed painters' gums causing their teeth to come out easily, gave 

them dropped wrist and colic. Men strived to do the work until they became too slow 

and were unable to do any other work; there was no compensation or redress for 

occupational hazards. The workshop itself was badly lit and not ventilated. 

Undercutting of wages was common whereby men who came to the workshop 

offering to work for less were employed at the expense of those who were paid higher. 

Jordan said that as a result of this practice men were working for four pence an hour 

which was less than they could possibly live on, there was no pay for bank holidays, 

no annual holiday or sick pay. 170 Jordan ' s identification with the needs and aspirations 

of the working class in the Labour movement in New Zealand evolved from his 

understanding and experience of these conditions. 

After completing his apprenticeship Jordan was forced to leave the trade due to the 

onset of lead poisoning. He joined the London Postal service in 1897, where he 

experienced instances of workplace conservatism and resistance to change, which 

were also part of the British class system. One of his jobs was to count, one by one, 

magazines that were rolled up in a pile. He worked out a quicker way of doing it by 

counting the number at the base and how high they were piled, going to the senior man 

and saying that he thought it would be quicker for everybody if they did it that way. 

However, the senior man said that Jordan was not employed to work things out and 

told him to just count them one by one, the way he had been told to. Gwen Douglas 

recalled that her father told this story with some dissatisfaction, recalling the system 

169 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs '. 
170 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 



45 

was designed to keep the worker in his place and that too often the workers cooperated 

with this. 171 

Possibly reflecting his frustration at the inhibition of initiative resulting from a rigid 

bureaucracy, Jordan recalled that his first political interest was in the Postal Service 

when he joined the Fawcett Association, 172 a union of postal sorting clerks established 

in 1890. 173 Although Jordan did become a senior man in charge of a department in the 

Postal Service he cited job dissatisfaction and a feeling of restlessness as reasons for 

leaving. 174 

In Search Of Respect 

Possibly seeking self-improvement Jordan joined the Metropolitan Police Force in 

1903. The occupation was portrayed in his memoirs largely in terms of the ' respect ' 

associated with it. He was posted to the difficult Limehouse district but even there he 

suggested the people gave policemen respect. Jordan noted the career possibilities 

open to a London policeman, stating he was trained and encouraged to be of service to 

the public and said with very few exceptions the public reciprocated with a high 

regard for the ' bobby' .175 However, Sid Skinner who was chief clerk at New Zealand 

house during Jordan ' s tenure as High Commissioner, later described several instances 

of Jordan's time in the force which were not conducive to respect, 

He was once almost throttled by a drunken youth with a grudge against the 
police. Again, during a penny ride in a horse-drawn omnibus and encountering 
another drunk who refused to pay or to leave the vehicle, Bill paid the fare, 
arrested the man at the end of the ride - and received a black eye for his 
trouble. 176 

17 1 Interview with Gwen Douglas, 3 June 2003. 
172 Our Empire, (magazine) Article entitled 'New Zealand's High Commissioner in London' , September 
1936, WJC. 
173 http://www.warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/ead/l48FA.htm. ln 1919 the Fawcett Association was 
one of the unions that amalgamated to form the Union of Post Office workers. 
174 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 
175 Jordan, ' Untitled Memoirs'. 
176 Skinner, 'He walked with kings but kept the common touch '. 



46 

Jordan obviously enjoyed telling stories about his experiences, Skinner would not 

know these details otherwise. His position of authority as a law enforcer would have 

given him a certain measure ofrespect from some members of the community, 

however, his emphasis on this reflects the high profile respect itself had in Jordan's 

mind as he constructed his life story. Although, as Stevan Eldred-Grigg remarks, 

respectability within the working class meant different things to different people, 

Jordan certainly placed emphasis on occupational respect. 177 Occupation was also used 

in an attempt for social parity: as High Commissioner, when other diplomats 

mentioned that they were University Blues at Cambridge or Oxford, he would proudly 

mention that he was a London Blue.178 

Figure 11: Jordan as a London policeman, this representation reflecting his own self-respect. 

177 Eldred-Grigg, p. 108. 
178 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 



47 

Jordan immigrated to New Zealand in 1904, his account of this featured class 

significantly in his memoirs. In discussing Walter Nash's emigration, Keith Sinclair 

argues, "It is very difficult to discover why immigrants decide to move. Often they 

don't themselves know very clearly which of the various circumstances most 

influenced them". 179 Sinclair suggests that in the case of migration from Great Britain 

to New Zealand people often moved when economic conditions were bad. 180 In 

Jordan's case, with a secure job in the police force and a good chance of promotion, 

his motive does not appear to be personally economic. Sid Skinner suggested that 

Jordan sailed for New Zealand after losing a girlfriend to a senior officer. 181 Winnie 

Jordan corroborated this story, having in her possession an early photograph of Jordan 

with an unnamed girlfriend. Therefore, a failed romantic relationship may have, in 

part, been a reason for leaving. 

Jordan does not discuss this in his memoirs instead emphasising a 'wanderlust' or 

feeling of dissatisfaction that he felt in his previous jobs as his prime motive. Jordan's 

decision may have also included a desire for egalitarianism. Erik Olssen suggests 

many migrants wanted to leave the Old World social order behind. They did not want 

the deference of the British class system, only respect for themselves and what they 

had achieved. 182 This is consistent with Jordan's search for respect. In 1936 answering 

why he went to New Zealand he replied, 

... with the urge to go somewhere came the urge to go as far as I could. And 
New Zealand was the furthest point in the British Empire. So I went there. 
I'd heard a lot of good things about the country, a country with no snakes 
and no millionaires. 183 

At that time, as a member of the Labour Party who represented the needs and 

aspirations of the working class, Jordan gave the class issue a degree of prominence in 

179 Sinclair, Walter Nash, p. 13. 
180 Sinclair, Walter Nash, p. 13-14. 
181 Skinner, 'He walked with kings but kept the common touch '. 
182 Olssen, Building The New World, p. 231. 
183 New Zealand Herald, 3 September 1936, WJC. The authors own emphasis has been used to highlight 
the class aspect of this quote. 



48 

his reason for immigration. He also later reflected, "I went to New Zealand where 

owing perhaps to the fact that most people who migrated to the colonies did so to find, 

or establish better conditions, life was easier". 184 Immigration for Jordan was clearly a 

combination of several currents, as Sinclair stated, with Jordan himself probably not 

knowing exactly which circumstance most influenced him. However, as he reflected 

on his life in his memoirs, as a working class representative, he presented the class 

issue as one of some significance. This may have been an attempt to reassert his 

working class status, which was occasionally regarded with ambiguity in the press 

later in his life. 

Olssen suggests that migrants ' images and memories of Old World deference shaped 

what they wanted from the new. 185 However, Jordan ' s first New Zealand encounter 

may have dispelled any notion of an ideal society free from preconceived attitudes. 

Jordan had heard good things about New Zealand and recalled being told that, as a 

painter, he was just the man they wanted for immigration. 186 However, the morning 

after he arrived in Wellington he applied for a job as a painter. The employer asked 

where he had been working and when Jordan said he had just landed the man said, 

"You ' re from Britain, you ' re no good to me, while you ' re looking at a job we 've 

finished it". Jordan replied "You don ' t want a man then". "Yes I do" the man said "but 

not you". 187 

Jordan only briefly touches on his thoughts regarding this incident recalling that he 

had wondered what he had struck and whether that was the general attitude towards 

new arrivals, although his later experience suggested that it was not. Jock Phillips, in 

his discussion of the New Zealand male culture, states that the underlying work 

culture in New Zealand was one of hard physical work with laziness being despised. 

The 'new chum' or new immigrant was often distinguished from an old chum and was 

gently mocked, becoming a figure to be pitied and scorned for his physical softness 

184 News of the Wor/d(magazine) , 9 September 1951 , WJC. 
185 Olssen, Building The New World, p. 230. 
186 'Portrait from Life - Sir William Jordan'. 
187 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs '. 



49 

and love of home comforts. 188 Similarly, Keith Sinclair suggests that in late nineteenth 

century in New Zealand the old settler or colonial regarded the 'new chum' with good­

natured contempt. 189 Jordan' s first experience appears more extreme, he was labelled 

as idle simply by his nationality. Olssen argues that the Caversham community during 

this time did respect skill and independence, therefore Jordan could have expected a 

measure of respect for his trade. This was not, however, the case. 190 Sinclair also 

indicates that the new chum was criticised in the press for having too much ' side' 

which meant airs, arrogance and pretentiousness. 191 If Jordan had approached the 

prospective employer with any sense of presumption it was not surprising that he was 

rejected. Nevertheless, if Jordan had a distinctive expectation of immediate respect for 

his work ability or a preconceived image of New Zealand as an ideal society whose 

people were divest of prejudices, encompassing identity and class, he would have felt 

very let down. He remarked wryly, " ... it wasn ' t a very good welcome". 192 

Phillips argues that the men who came to New Zealand were predominantly British 

and as largely manual workers (like Jordan), they probably brought a certain pride in 

their physical prowess which they hoped to re-establish here. 193 After the initial 

rejection it may have been a combination of economic necessity (having only three 

pounds to his name), and an attempt to recapture some pride in his working ability by 

showing he could ' rough it', that saw Jordan leave Wellington. By obtaining a colonial 

credential Jordan possibly believed this would give him a better chance of acceptance 

in his new society. He heard of a job nearly a hundred miles away in the rural back 

blocks, but doesn 't elaborate how. As a result he travelled to the Pohangina Valley in 

the Manawatu. 194 

188 Jock Phillips, A Man 's Country: The Image of the Pakeha Male - A History, Auckland: Penguin, 1987, 
p. 16. 
189 Keith Sinclair, A Destiny Apart: New Zealand 's Search For National Identity, Wellington: Allen and 
Unwin, 1986, p. 103. 
190 Olssen, Building The New World, p. 231. 
19 1 New Zealand Herald, 4 November 1911 cited in Sinclair, A Destiny Apart, p. 104. 
192 'Portrait from Life - Sir William Jordan ' . 
193 Phillips, p. 11 . 
194 Jordan, 'Untitled Memoirs'. 



50 

Jordan immediately became acutely aware of his urban orientation, which was in stark 

contrast to the rural bushmen. He recalled that the men were amused by his 

appearance - he was well dressed, had a starched collar, dressy tie, creases in hi s 

trousers - "a proper city man" .195 He was unprepared for the job, he had no swag, 

blankets, denim trousers, heavy boots or other equipment to work in the bush. 196 

Jordan ' s very first job was to weed dog tail grass, an arduous task made all the more 

difficult because he was unsuitably attired for the job which included climbing over 

charred