Samuel Duncan Parnell

Samuel Duncan Parnell ( born February 19, 1810 in London, United Kingdom, † December 17, 1890 in Wellington, New Zealand), was a carpenter, farmer and successful single fighter for the introduction of the eight -hour day in New Zealand.

Life

England

Samuel Duncan Parnell was born in 1810 as the son of the gentleman James Parnell and his wife Joan Duncan in London. Of his early childhood nothing is known. He completed a carpenter training, which he finished in a for that time rather high age of 24 in 1834. He then worked in a large joinery in Theobald 's Road in London, where he has actively campaigned for the then working hours between ten and 14 hours per day and poor pay for working time reductions. Colleagues described him as one of the most radical among them.

The Grand National Consolidated Trades Union newly formed under the influence of the early socialists Robert Owen Parnell was not radical enough, which was concerned their commitment to working hours. He was not a member of the union, quit his job and started his own business as a carpenter.

After he had saved up enough money, he went to the offering of the New Zealand Company, which promised each immigrant 100 acres of farmland and another one acre tract of city land, and wandered eleven days after his wedding on September 17, 1839 with his wife Mary Ann Canham to New Zealand.

New Zealand

On February 7, 1840 arrived in Port Nicholson, Wellington, to Parnell settled with his wife in Petone in Wellington district. Parnell took the job of passengers to George Hunter to build a shop for him, but insisted on having to work only eight hours a day. Hunter insisted initially on working hours, as they were common in London, but had no other choice because of skill shortages and finally accepted Parnell conditions. Parnell noted later that this had probably been the first strike for the eight hour day, the world had seen.

Other employers trying to enforce the valid UK working hours in Wellington; the met Parnell by was present at the arrival of every ship in the harbor and the immigrants ' work eight hours, sleep eight hours and eight hours of leisure and recreation " with the slogan of the English early socialists Robert Owen welcomed and thus in the " practice " of Wellington indoctrinated Paier.

The persistent individual actions of Parnell found in Wellington quite fast recognition and support. Thus, in October 1840 at a meeting outside the German Brown's Hotel on Lambton Quay those who underwent the Achtstundentagregelung, threatened, they just throw in the harbor. The eight-hour day prevailed. In January 1849, the city of Dunedin and Auckland followed in 1857.

Parnell himself, who in 1842 lost his wife, was a farmer in Karori, situated in the western part of Wellington. On December 12, 1851 he married his second wife, Sarah Sophia Brunger, who brought two children into the marriage. The marriage itself had no children of their own, such as his first marriage before also. With his second wife, Parnell moved in October 1873 back to Wellington, where he has settled down for reasons of age. His second wife died, 1888.

On October 28, 1890 Parnell was the guest of honor at the first Labor Day demonstration in New Zealand after its introduction as a legal holiday. Parnell was the star guest of the day was celebrated with his 50 -year anniversary of his services to the introduction of the eight-hour day in New Zealand.

Samuel Duncan Parnell died on 17 December 1890 in his home in Cambridge Terrace. His funeral a few days later became a powerful demonstration. About 3,000 workers conducted in the pouring rain the coffin of his house to the cemetery and proved the man who had put in simple terms a movement that their last respects.