Harry Robson Lake (29 September 1911 – 21 February 1967) was a New Zealand politician who served as Minister of Finance for six years in the second National government in the 1960s. He died of a heart attack when only 55 years old.
Biography
Early life and career
Lake was born in Christchurch in 1911. Lake was father to two children, and grandfather to three. He attended Riccarton Primary School and Christchurch West District High School. He was further educated at the University of Canterbury, gaining a bachelor's degree in commerce. He was then employed for five years at the Vacuum Oil Company before joining a firm of public accountants, in which he later became a partner. He established an accountancy practice in 1943 and then a senior partner in the firm of Lake, Glynn and Smith. He also served a term as chairman of the Christchurch branch of the Society of Accountants.
In 1937 he married Beryl Bonnington with whom he had one son and one daughter. Lake was deemed medically unfit for active service in World War II. Instead he served within New Zealand as a duty officer in the Air Training Corps. He was the treasurer of the Canterbury-Westland division of the National Party. In the 1951 election, however, Lake won the seat of Lyttelton, which had been held by Labour for nearly forty years.
In 1953, Lake was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.
While Lake held his seat in the 1954 election, he lost it in the 1957 election to Norman Kirk (who later became Prime Minister).
In the 1960 election, which National won, Lake returned to Parliament as the MP for Fendalton (a safe National seat). He was immediately elevated to Cabinet by Prime Minister Keith Holyoake, becoming minister of finance. As Lake possessed no ministerial experience before this point, his immediate appointment to one of the most powerful ministerial posts was remarkable. Undoubtedly the reason for Lake's promotion was the fact he was a close friend and political confidante of Holyoake. In recognition of his lack of experience, however, Lake was officially ranked only sixth in Cabinet, a lower position than a minister of finance would normally expect. He was also appointed Minister of Statistics and Minister of Revenue. He was survived by his wife and two children.