Charles Mackay (mayor)

Charles Mackay (29 June 1875 – 3 May 1929) was a New Zealand lawyer, local politician, and Mayor of Wanganui between 1906 and 1920.

Born Charles Ewing Mackay (later known as Charles Evan Mackay) in Nelson in 1875, Mackay achieved a BA and LLB in law. He started a law firm in Wanganui in 1902. Gaining election to the Wanganui Borough Council in November 1905, he successfully contested the mayoralty in 1906.[1] Mackay stood as an independent in the Wanganui electorate in the 1908 election, but was defeated by James Thomas Hogan and George Hutchison in the first ballot.[2]

He became notorious after shooting writer Walter D'Arcy Cresswell,[3] who apparently threatened to out him as homosexual. In 1920, Mackay was convicted of Cresswell's attempted murder.[1] Mackay served time in Mount Eden prison. He was released in 1926, after serving six years with hard labour of his 15-year sentence. A condition of his release was that he leave the country and, in 1928, he moved to England.

Mackay was soon working in Berlin as a language teacher and part-time correspondent.[4] In his latter function, he covered communist street riots raging after May Day 1929 and was mistakenly shot dead by a policeman.[1]

References
  1. Broughton, W. S. "Charles Ewing Mackay". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  2. Mansfield, F. W. (1909). The General Election, 1908. National Library. p. 11. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
  3. Newton, John. "D'Arcy Cresswell, 1896–1960". Victoria University of Wellington. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
  4. "Controversial ex-mayor killed in Berlin riots | NZHistory, New Zealand history online". Nzhistory.net.nz. 22 August 2014. Retrieved 7 January 2016.


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