Thomas Kennedy Macdonald (6 April 1847 – 17 October 1914), known as Kennedy Macdonald or Kennedy Mac, was a 19th-century

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

Member of Parliament in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

, New Zealand.

Early life

Macdonald was born in

Boulogne-sur-Mer Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...

in northern

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 ...

. He came to Wellington from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

in July 1871. Macdonald married Frances Rossiter on 15 November 1870 in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. They lost three sons within one month in 1876 during a scarlet fever epidemic. He was a founding member of the

New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts The New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts (also referred to as the Wellington Art Society) was founded in Wellington in July 1882 as The Fine Arts Association of New Zealand. Founding artists included painters William Beetham (first president of the Ass ...

in 1882. Almost 100 years later, Inverlochy House, his former residence, was given to the academy.

Political career

MacDonald initially made political impact in local government. He served for seven years as Government representative on the

Wellington Harbour Board (Strong but true) , predecessor = , merged = , successor = , formation = , founder = , founding_location = , dissolved = , merger = , type ...

including 2 years as its chairman. He was also a

Wellington City Council Wellington City Council is a territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the country's capital city Wellington, and ''de facto'' second-largest city (if the commonly considered parts of Wellington, the Upper Hutt, Porirua, Lower Hutt and ...

lor from 1877 to 1878. In 1899 he stood unsuccessfully for

Mayor of Wellington The Mayor of Wellington is the head of the municipal government of the City of Wellington. The mayor presides over the Wellington City Council. The mayor is directly elected using the Single Transferable Vote method of proportional representati ...

against John Aitken. He represented the

City of Wellington Wellington City Council is a Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authority in New Zealand, governing the country's capital city Wellington, and ''de facto'' second-largest city (if the commonly considered parts of Wellington, ...

electorate from 1890 to 1891, when he resigned upon a bankruptcy claim. He was in favour of a land tax and of more (rural) roads, and of ending the ''jobbery'' in dealing in native land. He contested the three-member electorate in the , when he came fourth. 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. He was later appointed to the Legislative Council from 1903 to 1911.

Death

Macdonald died on 17 October 1914 at the

Porirua Lunatic Asylum Porirua Lunatic Asylum (alternates: Porirua Asylum, Porirua Hospital, Porirua Psychiatric Hospital; currently: Porirua Hospital Museum) was a psychiatric hospital located in Porirua. Established in 1887, it was at one time the largest hospital in ...

where he had resided since November 1913. The Macdonald family is buried at

Bolton Street Memorial Park Bolton Street Memorial Park, formerly known as Bolton Street Cemetery, is the oldest cemetery in Wellington, New Zealand. Dating back to 1840, many notable people are buried here. Situated in the suburb of Thorndon, the Wellington City Council's ...

, and their grave is part of the memorial trail. McDonald Crescent in Wellington is named after him.

Notes

References

* , - 1847 births 1914 deaths New Zealand Liberal Party MPs Members of the New Zealand Legislative Council New Zealand Liberal Party MLCs Burials at Bolton Street Cemetery New Zealand MPs for Wellington electorates Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives French emigrants to New Zealand Unsuccessful candidates in the 1899 New Zealand general election Wellington City Councillors Wellington Harbour Board members 19th-century New Zealand politicians {{NewZealand-Liberal-politician-stub