Thomas Malcolm McGuigan (20 February 1921 – 5 February 2013) was a New Zealand politician of the Labour Party. Biography Early life and career McGuigan was born and raised in the Christchurch suburb of Woolston. He attended Christchurch Boys' High School and represented his school in various sports (cricket, soccer, and athletics). McGuigan then studied accountancy at Christchurch Technical College until World War II broke out. As a "child of the depression" he always felt class distinction, a feeling which was reinforced during the war. As an officer in the Royal New Zealand Navy, he felt uncomfortable at the great divide between officers and ratings. He visited many Asian countries, where poverty was rife and class differences stood out, he decided later to enter politics for this reason and improve people's living standards. At the conclusion of the war, McGuigan married Englishwoman Ruth Deacon, the daughter of John Deacon, on 23 February 1946. After their marriage she had to travel to New Zealand separately from her armed services husband, like most war brides. She ended up arriving in New Zealand first, because the ship carrying McGuigan had to turn around at Fremantle and head back to England. McGuigan's fellow servicemen, the English rugby league team and a group of Catholic priests who had been on board were taken to Melbourne via a troop train instead. The rail journey was drawn out for about a week by frequent stops to allow other trains through, and to cook meals in the outdoors. McGuigan and his men went into an army camp at Melbourne to await a suitable ship to take them to New Zealand. They were reunited and settled in Christchurch and had one daughter and two sons. McGuigan was an accountant and secretary from 1946 to 1954. He was the house manager at Christchurch Hospital (1955–1957), senior administration officer at Princess Margaret Hospital (1957–1969), house manager of Coronation House (1963–1969), and house manager at the North Canterbury Hospital Board (NCHB) Subsidiary Institution (1965–1969). Political career McGuigan stood unsuccessfully for Parliament in the in . He initially had a 36-vote lead on election night, but his small majority was eroded after the counting of special votes. After failing to win the seat, McGuigan decided not to stand again but to commit himself to his career in hospital administration for the foreseeable future. Despite his name being mentioned for the Riccarton by-election in