Charles Mackay (mayor)

Charles Mackay

Charles Mackay (29 June 1875 – 3 May 1929) was a New Zealand lawyer, local politician, and Mayor of Wanganui between 1906 and 1920.

Born Charles Ewing Mackay (later known as Charles Evan Mackay) in Nelson in 1875, Mackay achieved a BA and LLB in law. He started a law firm in Wanganui in 1902. Gaining election to the Wanganui Borough Council in November 1905, he successfully contested the mayoralty in 1906.^[1] Mackay stood as an independent in the Wanganui electorate in the 1908 election, but was defeated by James Thomas Hogan and George Hutchison in the first ballot.^[2]

He became notorious after shooting writer Walter D'Arcy Cresswell,^[3] who apparently threatened to out him as homosexual. In 1920, Mackay was convicted of Cresswell's attempted murder.^[1] Mackay served time in Mount Eden prison. He was released in 1926, after serving six years with hard labour of his 15-year sentence. A condition of his release was that he leave the country and, in 1928, he moved to England.

Mackay was soon working in Berlin as a language teacher and part-time correspondent.^[4] In his latter function, he covered communist street riots raging after May Day 1929 and was mistakenly shot dead by a policeman.^[1]

References[]

^ ^a ^b ^c Broughton, W. S. "Charles Ewing Mackay". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
^ Mansfield, F. W. (1909). The General Election, 1908. National Library. p. 11. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
^ Newton, John. "D'Arcy Cresswell, 1896–1960". Victoria University of Wellington. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
^ "Controversial ex-mayor killed in Berlin riots | NZHistory, New Zealand history online". Nzhistory.net.nz. 22 August 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2016.

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[DNZB_Mackay-1] Broughton, W. S. "Charles Ewing Mackay". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.

[2] Mansfield, F. W. (1909). The General Election, 1908. National Library. p. 11. Retrieved 25 April 2015.

[3] Newton, John. "D'Arcy Cresswell, 1896–1960". Victoria University of Wellington. Retrieved 10 November 2014.

[4] "Controversial ex-mayor killed in Berlin riots | NZHistory, New Zealand history online". Nzhistory.net.nz. 22 August 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2016.

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