Arthur Desmond

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Arthur Desmond (c. 1859 – 23 January 1929), also known as Arthur Uing, Richard Thurland, Desmond Dilg and Gavin Gowrie, was a political activist, poet and author. He lived for periods in New Zealand, Australia, the United States, and England.

Born in either England or New Zealand, Desmond entered the public record in 1884 as a parliamentary candidate in New Zealand, where he became known for his radical views and advocacy for the Māori leader Te Kooti. He moved to Sydney in 1894, where he got involved with the Australian labour movement, as an associate of Billy Hughes, Jack Lang and Henry Lawson. He later moved to the United States.

Desmond is believed to be the author of the 1896 political treatise, Might Is Right, written under the pen name Ragnar Redbeard and printed in Chicago. The book espouses the beliefs of Social Darwinism, that power, strength, and dominance are the mark of a superior human being and that inherent human rights are nonexistent.