George William Hutchison (3 April 1882 – 14 February 1947) was a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

politician and accountant. He was

Mayor of Auckland City The Mayor of Auckland City was the directly elected head of the Auckland City Council, the municipal government of Auckland City, New Zealand. The office existed from 1871 to 2010, when the Auckland City Council and mayoralty was abolished an ...

from 1931 to 1935.

Biography

Hutchison was born in Mangonui in 1882 and educated at

Auckland Grammar School Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about I ...

. He was a public accountant in Auckland from 1907, rising to become a Fellow of the New Zealand Society of Accountants and Auditors, and local President of the Chartered Institute of Secretaries. From 1911, he was secretary of the Auckland branch of the

Automobile Association Automobile associations, also referred to as motoring clubs, motoring associations, motor clubs, are organizations, either for-profit or non-profit, which motorists (drivers and vehicle owners) can join to enjoy benefits provided by the club relat ...

. He was the president of the Auckland

Rotary Club Rotary International is one of the largest service organizations in the world. Its stated mission is to "provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through hefellowship of business, profe ...

in 1928/29 and a vice-president of the Auckland Town Planning Association. He served on the

University of Auckland , mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work , established = 1883; years ago , endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021) , budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021) , chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant , vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...

Council from 1929. Hutchison entered local-body politics as a member of the

One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to: * "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak * ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song ** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...

Road Board. He was elected onto

Auckland City Council Auckland City Council was the local government authority for Auckland City, New Zealand, from 1871 to 1 November 2010, when it and Auckland's six other city and district councils were amalgamated to form the Auckland Council. It was an elected b ...

in 1929 and was elected mayor in 1931. In the 1934 King's Birthday Honours, he was appointed a

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

. He was appointed a Chevalier of the

Légion d’honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon B ...

by the Republic of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

on 3 December 1934, in recognition of his service to visiting French warships as the Mayor of Auckland. This award was announced by the French Foreign Minister along with awards to Reverend Hadden Kingston Vickery and The Honourable John Alexander, which were "made as tokens of appreciation of the very cordial welcome which the city of Auckland... adnever failed to extend to various French warships." In 1935, he was awarded the

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir by King George V to commemorate his Silver J ...

. Hutchinson was succeeded as mayor by Sir Ernest Davis in 1935, but served as French Consular Agent in Auckland from 1939 to 1942, and died in Auckland on 14 February 1947.

Awards and decorations

Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (1934) * Legion Honneur Chevalier ribbon

Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (1934) * King George V Silver Jubilee Medal (1935)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hutchison, George 1882 births 1947 deaths People from the Northland Region People educated at Auckland Grammar School Mayors of Auckland New Zealand accountants New Zealand Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George Knights of the Legion of Honour New Zealand recipients of the Legion of Honour