Lange, David Russell [key], 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.
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