Sir Robert Lachlan Macalister (2 December 1890 – 23 May 1967) was the

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 ...

from 1950 to 1956, and had been the acting mayor for five months in 1948 during the absence overseas of

Will Appleton Sir William Appleton (3 September 1889 – 22 October 1958) was a New Zealand local body politician, advertising agent and leading company director. He was Mayor of Wellington for two terms from 1944 to 1950 after serving as a city councillor fr ...

Biography

Early life and career

Macalister was born in Blenheim and moved to Wellington in his youth to study at Victoria University where he qualified as a

Lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

. He then enlisted in the military and served during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and once returning he became a member of the War Relief Association. He was a barrister and solicitor by trade and worked at the same legal firm as

Ossie Mazengarb Oswald Chettle Mazengarb (31 May 1890 – 27 November 1963), known as Ossie Mazengarb, was a New Zealand barrister. Biography Mazengarb was born in Prahran, a suburb of Melbourne, in 1890. His family moved to Dunedin soon after his birth and ...

and Ernst Peterson Hay. The firm of Mazengarb, Hay and Macalister was founded in 1918 and quickly became one of the largest law practices in Wellington. In 1919 he married Katherine Featherston Fitzgerald.

Political career

In 1933 he stood for council on a Citizens' Association ticket and was narrowly elected on the first count. However, after special votes were counted he lost his seat to the Labour Party's

Peter Butler Peter or Pete Butler may refer to: * Pete Butler (coach) (1909–1983), American football, basketball, and baseball coach and college athletics administrator * Peter Butler (politician) (born 1951), Conservative Member of Parliament * Peter Butler ...

. He was elected a member of the

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 ...

in 1938 and served until 1950 when he was elected Mayor. Macalister served as Mayor until 1956. He was also a member of the

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

from 1942 to 1956. As mayor he was noted for providing the city with modernised recreational facilities. The 1956 mayoral election was conducted amidst a selection controversy by the Citizens' Association. Under the impression that incumbent Macalister was not intending to seek a third term as Mayor,

Ernest Toop Ernest Richard Toop (3 October 1895 – 14 November 1976) was a New Zealand politician and businessman. Biography Early life Ernest Richard Toop was born in 1895. He became a merchant in Wellington starting his own company, becoming the manag ...

applied to gain nomination as the official Citizens' candidacy. As Toop was the only applicant he was successful. However, Macalister had intended to run for mayor again and assumed he, as incumbent, would gain automatic nomination. Undeterred, Macalister ran for mayor again as an Independent which split the Citizens' vote enabling Labour's

Frank Kitts Sir Francis Joseph Kitts (1 May 1912 – 16 March 1979) was a New Zealand politician. He was the longest-serving mayor of Wellington, holding the post from 1956 to 1974. He was the Labour Member of Parliament for between and 1960. Early life ...

to win the mayoralty.

Later life and death

After a period of illness he died at his home in Wadestown on 23 May 1967, aged 76.

Honours

In the 1956 Queen's Birthday Honours, Macalister was appointed a

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised orders of chivalry; it is a part of the British honours system. Knights Bachelor are the ...

, in recognition of his service as mayor of Wellington. Macalister Park in Wellington and Macalister Cove in Tahuahua/Blackwood Bay are named after him. The cove is where Macalister had a holiday home.

Notes

References

* * , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Macalister, Robert 1890 births 1967 deaths 20th-century New Zealand politicians Deputy mayors of Wellington Mayors of Wellington 20th-century New Zealand lawyers Wellington City Councillors Wellington Harbour Board members New Zealand Knights Bachelor New Zealand politicians awarded knighthoods New Zealand military personnel of World War I