Kennedy Macdonald

Thomas Kennedy Macdonald (6 April 1847 – 17 October 1914), known as Kennedy Macdonald or Kennedy Mac, was a 19th-century Liberal Party Member of Parliament in Wellington, New Zealand.

The Honourable
Kennedy Macdonald
Member of the New Zealand Parliament
for City of Wellington
In office
5 December 1890 – 28 November 1891
Serving with George Fisher & John Duthie
Succeeded byWilliam McLean
Personal details
Born6 April 1847
Boulogne-sur-Mer, France
Died17 October 1914
Porirua, New Zealand
Political partyLiberal
SpouseFrances Rossiter

Early life

Macdonald was born in Boulogne-sur-Mer in northern France. He came to Wellington from Australia in July 1871.[1] Macdonald married Frances Rossiter on 15 November 1870 in Melbourne. They lost three sons within one month in 1876 during a scarlet fever epidemic.[1]

He was a founding member of the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts in 1882.[2] Almost 100 years later, Inverlochy House, his former residence, was given to the academy.[3]

Political career
New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate Party
1890–1891 11th City of Wellington Liberal

MacDonald initially made political impact in local government. He served for seven years as Government representative on the Wellington Harbour Board including 2 years as its chairman.[4] He was also a Wellington City Councillor from 1877 to 1878.[1] In 1899 he stood unsuccessfully for Mayor of Wellington against John Aitken.[5]

He represented the City of Wellington electorate from 1890 to 1891, when he resigned upon a bankruptcy claim.[6] He was in favour of a land tax and of more (rural) roads, and of ending the jobbery in dealing in native land.[7]

He contested the three-member City of Wellington electorate in the 1899 election, when he came fourth.[8] He considered standing in the Otaki by-election in January 1900, but the brother of the deceased incumbent consented to stand for the Liberal Party instead.[9] He was later appointed to the Legislative Council from 1903 to 1911.[6]

Death

Macdonald died on 17 October 1914 at the Porirua Lunatic Asylum where he had resided since November 1913.[1] The Macdonald family is buried at Bolton Street Memorial Park, and their grave is part of the memorial trail.[10][11]

McDonald Crescent in Wellington is named after him.[12]

Notes
  1. Alington, Margaret. "Macdonald, Thomas Kennedy". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  2. "Men associated with the Fine Arts Association of New Zealand - Photograph taken by Herrmann". National Library of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 20 December 2012. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  3. "Kennedy Macdonald". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 12 January 2014.
  4. Johnson, David (1996). "Members and Officers of the Wellington Harbour Board, Appendix 1". Wellington Harbour. Wellington Maritime Museum Trust. p. 475. ISBN 0958349800.
  5. "Mayoral Elections". Feilding Star. Vol. XXI, no. 129. 30 November 1899. p. 2. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  6. Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. p. 215. OCLC 154283103.
  7. "MEMBERS' VIEWS SUMMARISED". Evening Star. No. 8382. PapersPast. 6 December 1890. p. Page 1 (Supplement). Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  8. "New Zealand General Election, 1899". Appendix to the Journals of the House of Representatives, 1900 Session I, H-26. p. 2. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
  9. "Second Edition". The Evening Post. Vol. LVIII, no. 140. 11 December 1899. p. 6. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  10. "Details". Wellington City Council. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  11. "Memorial Trail" (PDF). Bolton Street Memorial Park. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
  12. Irvine-Smith 1948, p. 113.

References


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