{{Short description|New Zealand politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=August 2014}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Honourable | name = Wilfred Fortune | honorific_suffix = | image = Wilfred Fortune 1950.jpg | alt = | caption = | constituency_MP2 = Eden | parliament2 = New Zealand | term_start2 = 27 November 1946 | term_end2 = 13 November 1954 | predecessor2 = Bill Anderton | successor2 = Duncan Rae | birth_date = 9 October 1897 | birth_place = Paeroa, New Zealand | death_date = 28 February 1961 | death_place = Auckland, New Zealand | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates = | birth_name = | party = National | other_party = <!--For additional political affiliations--> | spouse = | partner = <!--For those with a domestic partner and not married--> | relations = | children = | alma_mater = University of Auckland | profession = | signature = <!--Military service--> | nickname = | allegiance = New Zealand Army | branch = | service_years = | rank = 10px Lieutenant Colonel | unit = | commands = | battles = World War II | awards = }}

'''Wilfred Henry Fortune''' (9 October 1897 – 28 February 1961) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party.

==Personal life== Fortune was born in 1897 in Paeroa. He received his education at Auckland Grammar School, the Auckland Teachers' Training College, and the University of Auckland. He obtained a B.A., a B.Com., and a diploma in social sciences. He initially worked as a teacher, then became a public secretary, and was then managing director of Young and Fortune Ltd. During World War II, he was a lieutenant colonel with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) in the Pacific.{{sfn|Gustafson|1986|p=311}} Fortune died on 28 February 1961.{{sfn|Gustafson|1986|p=311}}

==Political career== {{NZ parlbox header|nolist=true|align=left}} {{NZ parlbox |start = {{NZ election link year|1946}} |end = 1949 |term = 28th |electorate = {{NZ electorate link|Eden}} |party = New Zealand National Party }} {{NZ parlbox |start = {{NZ election link year|1949}} |end = 1951 |term = 29th |electorate = Eden |party = New Zealand National Party }} {{NZ parlbox |start = {{NZ election link year|1951}} |end = 1954 |term = 30th |electorate = Eden |party = New Zealand National Party }} {{End}} As an Independent, he contested the {{By-election link|Auckland West|1940}} in the Auckland West electorate resulting from Michael Joseph Savage's death, but was beaten by Labour's Peter Carr.{{sfn|Gustafson|1986|p=311}}{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=188}} He stood for National in the {{NZ election link|1943}}, but was beaten by the incumbent, Labour's Bill Anderton, by only 14 votes. In 1941 he won a seat on the Auckland City Council, serving two terms.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19410524.2.129.6 |title=Electoral |date=24 May 1941 |work=The New Zealand Herald |volume=LXXVIII |issue=23973 |page=3 |access-date=20 November 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19440610.2.105.6 |title=Local Body Elections |publisher=Auckland Star |date=10 June 1944 |volume=LXXV |issue=136 |access-date=10 May 2017 |page=9 }}</ref>

===Member of parliament=== Fortune was first elected to parliament at the subsequent election in {{NZ election link year|1946}}, when Anderton successfully stood in {{NZ electorate link|Auckland Central}},{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=180}} and Fortune was returned in Eden. Fortune held Eden until the {{NZ election link|1954}}, when he was defeated for {{NZ electorate link|Onslow}}.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=197}} He was a member of the Executive Council from 1949 to 1954 in the First National Government.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=86}} In January 1950 he was appointed Minister of Police.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19500119.2.97 |title=Personal |publisher=Otago Daily Times |date=19 January 1950 |issue=27292 |access-date=10 May 2020 |page=6 }}</ref>

In 1953, Fortune was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Taylor |first1=Alister |last2=Coddington |first2=Deborah |authorlink1=Alister Taylor |authorlink2=Deborah Coddington |title=Honoured by the Queen – New Zealand |year=1994 |publisher=New Zealand Who's Who Aotearoa |location=Auckland |isbn=0-908578-34-2 |page=412}}</ref> In 1955, he was granted the use of the title of "Honourable" for life, having served more than three years as a member of the Executive Council.<ref>{{London Gazette | issue=40421 | date=1 March 1955 | page=1269}}</ref>

===After parliament=== From 1956 until his death, he chaired the National Party in Auckland. In 1957 he won a by-election to regain a seat on the Auckland City Council.<ref>{{cite news |work=The New Zealand Herald |page=14 |title=Final Figures Little Changed |date=18 December 1957 }}</ref> His interests lay in education and health, and he was a member of the Auckland Education Board, and the Seddon Memorial Technical College Board of Governors. He was a director of the YMCA, and chaired the Auckland Central Health Camp Council.{{sfn|Gustafson|1986|p=311}}

==Notes== {{Reflist|30em}}

==References== *{{cite book |last = Gustafson |first = Barry |authorlink = Barry Gustafson |title = The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party |year = 1986 |publisher = Reed Methuen |location = Auckland |isbn = 0-474-00177-6}} *{{cite book |last= Wilson |first= Jim | author-link=Jim Wilson (librarian) |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 |edition= 4th |orig-year= First ed. published 1913 |year= 1985 |publisher= V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer |location= Wellington |oclc=154283103}}

{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=Sidney Holland}} {{s-ttl | title=Minister of Police|years=1950–1954}} {{s-aft |after=Sidney Holland}} {{s-par|nz}} {{s-bef|before=Bill Anderton}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of Parliament for Eden|years=1946–1954}} {{s-aft|after=Duncan Rae}} {{end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fortune, Wilfred}} Category:1897 births Category:1961 deaths Category:New Zealand National Party MPs Category:Members of the Cabinet of New Zealand Category:Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives Category:New Zealand MPs for Auckland electorates Category:People from Paeroa Category:People educated at Auckland Grammar School Category:Auckland College of Education alumni Category:University of Auckland alumni Category:New Zealand schoolteachers Category:New Zealand military personnel of World War II Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1954 New Zealand general election Category:Unsuccessful candidates in the 1943 New Zealand general election Category:Auckland City Councillors