Sir Francis Joseph Kitts was a New Zealand politician. Originally from the South Island, he served in the military and later was a civil servant before entering politics with the Labour Party. He was the Member of Parliament for Wellington Central between 1954 and 1960. He was also the longest-serving Mayor of Wellington, holding the post from 1956 to 1974. He was also a member at various times of several other local bodies and was still an elected official at his death.

The 1954 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 31st term. It saw the governing National Party remain in office, but with a slightly reduced majority. It also saw the debut of the new Social Credit Party, which won more than eleven percent of the vote but failed to win a seat.