Clutha Mackenzie

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Clutha Mackenzie in 1931

Sir Clutha Nantes Mackenzie (11 February 1895 – 30 March 1966) was a New Zealand politician and worker for the blind. He was briefly a Reform Party Member of Parliament.

Biography[]

New Zealand Parliament
Years Term Electorate Party
1921–1922 20th Auckland East Reform

Mackenzie was born in Balclutha in 1895. He was the youngest child of Sir Thomas Mackenzie,[1] who was High Commissioner in London and was previously a Liberal politician (and Prime Minister in 1912). Mackenzie Jr. enlisted in the Army in World War I.[2] He was blinded at Chunuk Bair during the Gallipoli campaign and was sent to the No. 2 New Zealand General Hospital at Walton-on-Thames to convalesce.[3] At the hospital he was one of the patients of his sister Mary, who was a member of the Voluntary Aid Detachment here.[4] After recovering he was sent to the live with other blind soldiers in a house in Portland before attending St Dunstan's, the Institute for the Blind Soldiers and Sailors.[4] At the institute he learnt Braille as well as how to type.

He was active in organisations for the blind; he was attached to the UN and was Chairman of the World Braille Council. He was appointed a Knight Bachelor in the 1935 New Year Honours.[5] Later that year he was awarded the King George V Silver Jubilee Medal.[6]

Mackenzie won the Auckland East electorate in a 1921 by-election[7] after the resignation of Arthur Myers,[8] but was defeated in the next election in 1922 by John A. Lee.[9]

Mackenzie died in Auckland in 1966,[1] and his ashes were buried in the Dunedin Northern Cemetery.[10]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Hansen, Penelope. "Mackenzie, Clutha Nantes". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
  2. ^ Brooking, Tom. "Mackenzie, Thomas Noble 1853–1930". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 30 December 2011.
  3. ^ Rogers, Anna (2018). With Them Through Hell: New Zealand Medical Services in the First World War. Auckland: Massey University Press. p. 199. ISBN 978-0-9951001-9-0.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Tolerton, Jane (2017). Make Her Praises Heard Afar : New Zealand women overseas in World War One (Paperback). Wellington: Booklovers Books. pp. viii, 172–173. ISBN 978-0-473-39965-8.
  5. ^ "No. 34119". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 1935. p. 2.
  6. ^ "Official jubilee medals". The Evening Post. 6 May 1935. p. 4. Retrieved 3 August 2013.
  7. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 123.
  8. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 128.
  9. ^ Scholefield 1950, p. 120.
  10. ^ "Cemeteries search". Dunedin City Council. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2014.

References[]

  • Obituary in Evening Post, 31 March 1966 page 26.
  • Scholefield, Guy (1950) [First ed. published 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 (3rd ed.). Wellington: Govt. Printer.

Further reading[]

External links[]

New Zealand Parliament
Preceded by
Arthur Myers 		Member of Parliament for Auckland East
1921–1922 		Succeeded by
John A. Lee
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