Melville Lyons

Melville Edwin Lyons OBE (27 February 1889 – 7 May 1955), sometimes called Tiny, was briefly a Reform Party Member of Parliament in New Zealand until his election was declared void.

Lyons was born on 27 February 1889 (note that his birth certificate appears under the date 27 March 1889[1]) in Masterton.

[5] He left for Egypt via Sydney from Wellington on 13 July 1916 as a trooper to enter the war, part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the 15th Reinforcements Veterinary Corps.

[6] At 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m),[2] he was a tall man and "well-fleshed" (at age 26, he weighed 217 pounds (98 kg)) and had been given the ironic nickname 'Tiny'.

[10] Lyons next stood for Parliament in the 1935 Lyttelton by-election, caused by the death of Elizabeth McCombs who had succeeded her husband James.

[26] When the 1943 general election did happen, W. H. Overton was the National Party candidate in the Kaiapoi electorate, coming second against the incumbent Morgan Williams.

[27][28] Early in 1943, Lyons was nominated by the National Party for the Christchurch East by-election held on 6 February caused by the death of Tim Armstrong.

[33] Lyons was first elected Councillor for Christchurch City Council in 1927 and served for a total of 20 years until 1947 as a member of the conservative Citizens' Association.

[38] In the 1953 Coronation Honours, Lyons was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for services to local government and agriculture.