Peter James O'Brien (8 June 1874 â 28 September 1947) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party.
O'Brien was born in 1874 at Forest Creek, near Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia. His parents of Irish descent were Terence OâÂÂBrien, a miner, and Bridget OâÂÂLeary. He was christened Peter James, but his first name was never used; many knew him as Jim or Briney. After having worked as a miner in various Australian states, O'Brien emigrated to New Zealand in 1904 and found employment as a coalminer in Reefton. O'Brien became active in the socialist circles that developed on the West Coast. He became president of the Westland Certificated Engine-drivers' and Firemen's Union, and was the president of the Runanga Co-operative Society.
Standing on a socialist ticket, he was voted onto the inaugural Runanga Borough Council in 1912. In 1913, he supported Paddy Webb's successful by-election campaign in the electorate for the Social Democratic Party, and later became the president of the Runanga branch of the party. He was a member of the Greymouth Borough Council for eight years and he was deputy mayor for three of them. He was also a member of the Grey Power Board. O'Brien was twice president of the Grey branch of the Labour Party and helped to establish the Grey River Argus as a Labour daily newspaper.
He represented the Westland electorate in Parliament from the , when he defeated Tom Seddon. He lost the electorate in the to Tom Seddon, but won it back in , and held it to 1947, when he died. He was the senior Government whip from 1939 until his promotion to the cabinet in 1942.
He was a Minister in the First Labour Government. He was Minister of Transport (9 December 1942 â 28 September 1947), Minister of Marine (9 December 1942 â 28 September 1947), Minister of Labour (27 June 1946 â 19 December 1946) and Minister of Mines (27 June 1946 â 19 December 1946). He remained an MP until his death, which caused a by-election held in December 1947 that was won by Labour's Jim Kent.
In 1935, he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.
O'Brien married Kate Teresa Flaherty on 29 June 1909 in Greymouth. He died in Wellington on 28 September 1947. His wife survived him; they had no children.
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