General Francis Marion Bates (Frank)
Fisher
Male
New Zealand
1877-12-22
Wellington, New Zealand
1960-07-24
Rotorua, New Zealand


About

From Wikipedia: Frank Fisher (politician) - Wikipedia

Francis Marion Bates Fisher was a New Zealand Member of Parliament from Wellington. He was known as Rainbow Fisher for his frequent changes of political allegiance. He was a veteran of the Boer War and an internationally successful tennis player becoming the champion, along with his mixed doubles partner, Irene Peacock, of the World Covered Court Championships in 1920.

Fisher was the son of George Fisher, a member of parliament and Mayor of Wellington. David Fisher was his uncle. Frank Fisher was a captain in the 10th New Zealand Contingent to the South African Second Boer War in 1902. His eldest daughter, Esther Fisher (1900–1999), became an international pianist.

Fisher represented two Wellington electorates in the New Zealand House of Representatives for nine years from a 1905 by-election to the 1914 general election. Initially from 6 April 1905 he represented the multi-member City of Wellington electorate, but from the 1905 general election, he represented Wellington Central.

His initial intention in early 1905 was to stand in a Christchurch electorate at the 1905 general election. In mid-February 1905, he held his first meeting with electors in Christchurch. This changed, however, when his father died in mid-March, and a request was put to him to stand in the City of Wellington electorate to fill the vacancy. In his speeches to Wellington electors, he stressed the need for the Liberal Party, of which he was a member, to reform itself from within. The by-election was contested by Fisher, Charles Hayward Izard and John Hutcheson, with Fisher being successful.

After his election, he helped form the New Liberal Party. The party was formed at a meeting in the Christchurch suburb of Papanui in June 1905. The New Liberals suffered considerable damage from the so-called “voucher incident”, in which Fisher alleged that Richard Seddon’s son had been receiving payment from a government department for work he had not done. The allegations were disproven, and the New Liberals suffered considerable public backlash. Fisher had not consulted his colleagues before making the accusation, and it also strained relations between party members. Fisher was the only New Liberal MP (out of three) re-elected in 1905. The New Liberal Party was defunct by 1908.

In the 1908 general election he stood as an Independent. By 1910, he had joined the Reform Party. The 1911 general election required a second ballot if no candidate could achieve an absolute majority in the first round. The election was contested by Fisher, Robert Fletcher (Liberal Party), W.S. Young (Labour Party) and F. Freeman (Socialist Party), with Fisher having a majority of one vote over Fletcher. In the second ballot a week later, Fisher beat Fletcher with a majority of 150 votes.

By the next general election in 1914, the incumbent Fisher as a government minister contested Wellington Central against Fletcher again, and he was decisively beaten by 2677 votes to 4910. This spelled an end to Fisher’s political career in New Zealand. After the war, in 1919, he stood as the Conservative candidate in the Widnes by-election in Cheshire, England, where he was defeated by Labour’s Arthur Henderson.

He was known as Rainbow Fisher because of his frequent changes of political colour. Fisher was Minister of Customs and Minister of Marine from 10 July 1912 to 7 January 1915 in the Reform Government.

A top New Zealand tennis player, both at home and abroad, Fisher reached the final of the Australasian Open in 1906 but was defeated by Anthony Wilding. He won the New Zealand Men’s Championship Doubles in 1901/02, 1902/03, 1909/10 and 1910/11, and the Mixed Doubles Championships in 1899/1900, 1900/01, 1901/02 and 1911/12.

He reached the semi-finals in doubles with partner Stanley Doust at the 1912 Australasian Championships. In men’s doubles he partnered with Major Ritchie to reach the semi-finals at Wimbledon in 1919 and with Alfred Beamish for runner-up at the 1920 World Covered Court Championships [WCCC]. In mixed doubles he partnered Irene Peacock to the Championship of the 1920 WCCC and to the quarter-finals of Wimbledon in 1921.



Media


Archive statistics 1897 - 1938
14
237
142


Tournament wins 1926 - Championships of Wales (Amateur)
1924 - Dorset County Championships (Amateur)
1922 - Henley Hard courts Autumn Meeting (Amateur)
1922 - Hampshire Championships (Amateur)
1921 - Roehampton Autumn Meeting (Amateur)
1921 - Southampton (Amateur)
1921 - Hampshire Championships (Amateur)
1920 - West of England Championships (Amateur)
1920 - Surrey Championships (Amateur)
1920 - Hendon Spring (Amateur)
1919 - Hampshire Championships (Amateur)
1919 - Essex Championships (Amateur)
1919 - Roehampton Grass Courts (Amateur)
1908 - Brougham Hill Club open (Amateur)


Tournaments Brisbane Exhibition - 1938 Austrian International Championships - 1934 Austrian International Championships - 1932 Championships of Berlin - 1932 Santa Margherita - 1932 Cannes Carlton - 1931 Cannes Gallia - 1931 Homburg Cup - 1930 Baden-Baden - 1930 Bavarian International Championships - 1930 Bad Ems - 1930 Wimbledon - 1927 Roland Garros - 1927 Wimbledon - 1926 Beaulieu - 1926 Championships of Berlin - 1926 Championships of Wales - 1926 Luzern - 1926 Berliner Schlittschuh-Club - 1926 Championships of Berlin Consolation - 1926 Wimbledon - 1925 Gipsy - 1925 Wimbledon - 1924 Gipsy - 1924 Hampshire Championships - 1924 Dorset County Championships - 1924 Gleneagles Hard Courts - 1924 Wimbledon - 1923 Monte Carlo Christmas Tournament - 1923 Henley Hard Courts Spring Meeting - 1923 Wimbledon - 1922 Cannes Beau Site New Year Meeting - 1922 Hampshire Championships - 1922 British Covered Court Championships - 1922 Henley Hard courts Autumn Meeting - 1922 Cannes Carlton Winter Tournament - 1922 Wimbledon - 1921 Cannes Beau Site New Year Meeting - 1921 West of England Championships - 1921 Gipsy - 1921 Hampshire Championships - 1921 Wimbledon Plate (Consolation) - 1921 Roehampton Autumn Meeting - 1921 Cannes Carlton Winter Tournament - 1921 Southampton - 1921 Wimbledon - 1920 Cannes Championships - 1920 Côte d'Azur Championships - 1920 Riviera Championships - 1920 South of France Championships - 1920 Cannes Métropole - 1920 Kent Championships - 1920 West of England Championships - 1920 Surrey Championships - 1920 Gipsy - 1920 Hampshire Championships - 1920 World Covered Court Championships - 1920 British Covered Court Championships - 1920 Roehampton Grass Courts - 1920 Epsom - 1920 Frinton-on-Sea - 1920 Southampton - 1920 Hendon Spring - 1920 Wimbledon - 1919 Queens Club Tournament - 1919 French International Covered Court Championships - 1919 Kent Championships - 1919 Hampshire Championships - 1919 Essex Championships - 1919 World Covered Court Championships - 1919 Hendon Lawn Tennis Tournament - 1919 Norwood - 1919 Wairarapa Tournament - 1915 New Zealand Championships - 1913 Otago Tournament - 1913 Australian Open - 1912 New Zealand Championships - 1912 Wellington Championships - 1912 South Australian Championships - 1911 New South Wales Championships - 1911 New Zealand Championships - 1911 Wairarapa Tournament - 1911 New Zealand Championships - 1910 Westende Tournament - 1910 Wairarapa Tournament - 1910 Auckland - 1910 New Zealand Championships - 1909 Taranaki Championships - 1909 Wairarapa Tournament - 1909 Nelson Lawn Tennis Association Tournament - 1909 Australian Open - 1908 New Zealand Championships - 1908 Taranaki Championships - 1908 Brougham Hill Club open - 1908 New Zealand Championships - 1907 Wairarapa Tournament - 1907 Wellington Championships - 1907 Australian Open - 1906 New Zealand Championships - 1906 Taranaki Championships - 1906 Wellington Championships - 1906 New Zealand Championships - 1905 Wellington Championships - 1905 New Zealand Championships - 1902 New Zealand Championships - 1901 New Zealand Championships - 1900 New Zealand Championships - 1899 New Zealand Championships - 1898 New Zealand Championships - 1897

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