Lange, David Russell

Lange, David Russell (lăng), 1942–2005, New Zealand politician. After receiving his law degree (LL.M., 1970) he fought for the rights of the underprivileged in Auckland, and was elected to the House of Representatives as a Labor party member in 1977. He became deputy leader of the party in 1979 and leader in 1983. After Labor won the 1984 general election on a non-nuclear defense platform, he became prime minister. Lange encouraged free market reforms and cut the federal budget, and he drew the ire of the United States when he banned nuclear-armed or nuclear-powered ships from New Zealand's ports in 1985. He resigned as prime minister in 1989 when faced with a revolt within Labor over his economic reforms, but he remained in parliament until his death.