Thomas McDonnell ( – 8 November 1899) was a 19th-century

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public servant, military leader and writer.

Biography

Childhood and early life

McDonnell was born to Thomas McDonnell Sr., an early British merchant and speculator who served a brief term as Additional British Resident, and his wife Anna McDonnell (née Patterson). He was born between 1831 and 1833 and raised first in

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, then

Horeke Horeke ( mi, Hōreke) is a settlement in the upper reaches of the Hokianga Harbour in Northland, New Zealand. Kohukohu is just across the harbour. The Horeke basalts are located near the town, and can be viewed on an easy stroll through the Wair ...

, Northland. There he learned to speak

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

and how to use the traditional

taiaha A taiaha () is a traditional weapon of the Māori of New Zealand; a close-quarters staff weapon made from either wood or whalebone, and used for short, sharp strikes or stabbing thrusts with efficient footwork on the part of the wielder. Taiaha a ...

weapon. He tried his luck on the

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from 1853 to 1855, then returned to New Zealand where he obtained a post in the Native Land Purchase Department under

Alfred Domett Alfred Domett (20 May 18112 November 1887) was the fourth premier of New Zealand, a close friend of the poet Robert Browning and author of the epic poem ''Ranolf and Amohia, a South Sea Day Dream''. Born in England, he emigrated to New Zealand ...

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...

. After being paid eight months late, McDonnell resigned from that job and went sheepfarming in the

Hawkes Bay Hawke's Bay ( mi, Te Matau-a-Māui) is a local government region on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region's name derives from Hawke Bay, which was named by Captain James Cook in honour of Admiral Edward Hawke. The region is ...

with his brother William, only to be defrauded by a third party. He returned to Auckland in 1862 and was appointed interpreter to the resident magistrate at

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, panning for gold on the side.

New Zealand Wars

Through Alfred Domett, McDonnell obtained a commission in the Colonial Defence Force as a sub-inspector in 1863. During this time McDonnell served in the

Invasion of the Waikato The Invasion of the Waikato became the largest and most important campaign of the 19th-century New Zealand Wars. Hostilities took place in the North Island of New Zealand between the military forces of the colonial government and a federation ...

, seeing action at the battles of Rangiaowhia and Hairini. He was promoted to captain in 1864.

Tītokowaru's War

Following the end of the conflict in the Waikato, McDonnell took command of the colonial forces at Patea in 1866. McDonnell led a short and ruthless campaign against a number of Taranaki Māori villages, torching and destroying as he and his men went.

Retirement from military

On 9 April 1870, McDonnell married Henrietta Elise Lomax, in

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. Together they had four children. He acquired £690 in government grants and £1,400 worth of freehold property at

Wanganui Whanganui (; ), also spelled Wanganui, is a city in the Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand. The city is located on the west coast of the North Island at the mouth of the Whanganui River, New Zealand's longest navigable waterway. Whangan ...

, and set up as a Native Land Court interpreter and land agent at Wanganui in 1884. He received the New Zealand Cross on 31 March 1886, and published fragmented memoirs, as well as a fanciful Māori history of the wars.

Death

McDonnell died on 8 November 1899.