Early life and career

He was born in Dunedin in 1879 and was educated locally at George Street Public School. He then became an apprentice baker before gaining employment at a local bakery firm. He was then a business partner of Jim Munro from 1914. When Munro was elected to Parliament in 1922 the partnership was dissolved and Nielson found employment as foreman at another bakery, which he held until 1935. He became a trade union member and was later president of the Dunedin Bakers' Union.^[1]

Member of Parliament

He had been active in the Socialist Party and Social Democratic Party, and had been a member of the Maori Hill Borough Council for four years.^[2] He was elected to the Dunedin City Council at the 1935 local-body elections, serving until 1938.^[3] Mayor Edwin Thoms Cox appointed Neilson chairman of the council's library committee for the triennium.^[1]

Neilson had unsuccessfully stood in the Dunedin Central electorate in the 1931 election.^[4] He stood again for Dunedin Central in Labour's landslide win in the 1935 election, holding the seat until 1946 election, when he retired from Parliament for personal reasons.^[5] He was succeeded by fellow Labour member and future Minister of Defense Philip Connolly.

Later life and death

Neilson died on 3 November 1948 at Cook Hospital aged 69 after a three-week illness, survived by his wife and daughter.^[1] He was buried at Taruheru Cemetery, Gisborne.^[6]