English, Bill (1961-…) was prime minister of New Zealand from December 2016 to October 2017. In December 2016, Prime Minister John Key announced he was stepping down as head of the ruling National Party and as prime minister. The National Party then chose English, who had previously headed the party and had served as Key’s deputy prime minister, to lead the party and become the new prime minister. The National Party is a conservative political party that has traditionally favored free enterprise, a system that allows people to carry out most economic activities free from government control.
Simon William English was born on Dec. 30, 1961, in Lumsden, a small town in the Southland region of New Zealand’s South Island . He and his 11 siblings (brothers and sisters) grew up on a farm in nearby Dipton. Bill attended St. Patrick’s College in Silverstream, near the city of Upper Hutt on the North Island . In 1985, he earned a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Otago . He then earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature from Victoria University of Wellington .
While at the University of Otago, English met Mary Scanlon, who would become a doctor. They married in 1987. The couple have six children.
From 1987 to 1989, English was a policy analyst at the federal Treasury. In 1990, he began his career in Parliament after winning the electoral seat of Wallace (now Clutha-Southland). In October 2001, he was chosen to replace Jenny Shipley as head of the National Party. Under English’s leadership, the party suffered a major defeat in a 2002 general election. Don Brash replaced English as National Party leader the following year. English remained an active member of the National Party, and in 2008, Prime Minister Key appointed him to serve as finance minister and deputy prime minister. After Key’s resignation in 2016, the National Party selected English to succeed him. English was sworn in as prime minister on December 12.
In a September 2017 general election, no party won a majority of parliamentary seats. The National Party won 56 seats and Labour, in conjunction with the Green Party, won 56. The New Zealand First Party won 9 seats. New Zealand First joined with Labour and the Greens to form a governing partnership with a 63-seat majority. English’s term as prime minister ended in October, and Labour leader Jacinda Ardern became prime minister. English retired from politics in February 2018. That June, he was made a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit, one of the country’s highest civilian honors.
