{{Short description|New Zealand politician (1903–1967)}} {{about|the New Zealand politician|the English linguist|Peter Hugoe Matthews}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=October 2014}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Pressly Hemingway Matthews | image = Pressly Hemingway Matthews.jpg | caption = | order2 = 2nd Leader of the Social Credit Party | deputy2 = John O'Brien | term_start2 = 8 May 1960 | term_end2 = 13 May 1962 | predecessor2 = Wilfrid Owen | successor2 = Vernon Cracknell | birth_date = {{Birth date|1903|02|21|df=yes}}{{citation needed|date=October 2024}} | birth_place = New Zealand{{citation needed|date=October 2024}} | death_date = {{Death date and age|1967|09|25|1903|02|21|df=yes}} | death_place = Tākaka, New Zealand | party = Social Credit | spouse = | relations = | children = | alma_mater = | occupation = | website = }} '''Pressly Hemingway Matthews''' (21 February 1903 – 25 September 1967) was a New Zealand politician and, from 1960 to 1962, the second leader of New Zealand's Social Credit Party.
==Biography== Matthews was the only son of David Pressly Matthews (1854–1937). His mother was a daughter of Janet Simpson, a resident of Nelson. His father was from Dunedin and worked for the ''Otago Daily Times'' before he became a contractor during the gold boom in Paeroa and Waihi. The family moved to Wellington in 1905 where his father had a chain of butcher shops. His father farmed in Tākaka from 1918 to 1936.<!-- this is of relevance because, with P. H. Matthews born in 1903, this would have thus been in the Coromandel; there's also the interesting link to Tākaka --><ref name="father's obit">{{cite news |title=Mr D. P. Matthews |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ESD19370727.2.86 |access-date=15 October 2024 |work=The Evening Star |issue=22711 |date=27 July 1937 |page=9}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Mr D. P. Matthews |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19370727.2.98 |access-date=15 October 2024 |work=Otago Daily Times |issue=23253 |date=27 July 1937 |page=9}}</ref>
Matthews became leader of the Social Credit Party at the party's annual conference in Wellington in May 1960 for the 1960 general election.<ref>{{cite news |title=Social Credit's new leader: Mr P. H. Matthews, of Tākaka |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19600509.2.124 |access-date=15 October 2024 |work=The Press |volume=XCIX |issue=29199 |date=9 May 1960 |page=16}}</ref> The campaign opening was a disaster as he altered his address just before the opening meeting, and three candidates missed the nomination deadline. He was replaced by Vernon Cracknell in 1962.<ref>{{cite news |title=New Social Credit President |work=The New Zealand Herald |date=14 May 1962 |page=3 }}</ref> Spiro Zavos describes Presley {{sic}} Matthews as ''an obscure (even to Social Crediters) leader''.<ref>{{cite book | title=Crusade: Social Credit's drive for power |first=Spiro |last=Zavos |page=81 |date=1981 |publisher=INL Print |location=Lower Hutt |isbn=0-86464-025-0}}</ref>
Matthews married Euphemia "Phemie" Suckling at St Andrew's Church in Christchurch on 21 August 1929. His wife was from Tai Tapu outside of Christchurch. The reception was held at the Masonic Hall in Gloucester Street.<ref>{{cite news |title=Weddings |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TS19290822.2.124 |access-date=15 October 2024 |work=The Star |issue=18844 |date=22 August 1929 |page=12}}</ref>
Matthews had been a broadcasting technician and unionist in Auckland; he was first president (1934) of the Radio Workers Union and worker's representative on the Arbitration Court. He was also a local activist in Orakei, and had been in the Labour Party for many years until he resigned in 1939.<ref name="Who's Who">{{cite book |title=Who's Who in New Zealand, 1961 |last=Petersen |first=George |authorlink=George Petersen (historian) |year=1961 |edition=7th |publisher=A.H. & A.W. Reed |location=Wellington |page=206}}</ref>
About 1951 he moved to Tākaka to farm, and formed a branch of Social Credit.<ref name="Who's Who" /> He stood in the {{NZ electorate link|Buller}} electorate in the {{NZ election link|1957}} and {{NZ election link|1960}}, coming third each time; and also stood in the Buller {{By-election link|Buller|1962}}.<ref>{{cite book |last= Norton |first= Clifford |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Election Results 1946–1987: Occasional Publications No 1, Department of Political Science |year= 1988 |publisher= Victoria University of Wellington |location= Wellington |isbn= 0-475-11200-8 |page= 204 }}</ref> He was active with many organisations in Tākaka.<ref name="Who's Who" />
In May 1960 Matthews was elected party leader. His 1960 manifesto proposed policies such as introducing a Bill of Rights to limit the powers of Government, free travel to pensioners on Government-owned services outside of holiday periods, rationalising trading hours and holding a referendum on the liquor licensing debate.<ref>{{cite book |chapter-url= http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/1966/political-parties/page-14 |title=An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand |last=Gully | first=John Sidney |chapter=Social Credit Political League |publisher=Ministry for Culture and Heritage / Te Manatū Taonga | editor-first=A. H. |editor-last=McLintock |editor-link=Alexander Hare McLintock |access-date= 2 December 2015 }}</ref>
Aged 64, Matthews committed suicide with a gun in Tākaka on 25 September 1967.<ref>{{cite news |title=Announcements: deaths |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19670928.2.182 |access-date=2 March 2024 |work=The Press |volume=CVII |issue=31486 |date=28 September 1967 |page=25}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Former Social Credit Leader |url= https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19670928.2.174 |access-date=2 March 2024 |work=The Press |volume=CVII |issue=31486 |date=28 September 1967 |page=20}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}} *''Buller electoral roll'' 1957: Matthews, Pressly Hemingway, Central Takaka, company director.
{{NZ Democratic Party}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, P. H.}} Category:1903 births Category:1967 deaths Category:Leaders of political parties in New Zealand Category:20th-century New Zealand farmers Category:Social Credit Party (New Zealand) politicians Category:New Zealand Labour Party politicians Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1957 New Zealand general election Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1960 New Zealand general election Category:New Zealand community activists Category:People from Tākaka Category:New Zealand politicians who died by suicide Category:20th-century New Zealand trade unionists