Garnet Hercules Mackley

Garnet Hercules Mackley
Born	Garnet Hercules Mackley (1883-12-09)9 December 1883
Died	24 April 1986(1986-04-24) (aged 102)
Nationality	New Zealand
Occupation	businessman, railwayman, politician

Garnet Hercules Mackley (9 December 1883 – 24 April 1986) was a New Zealand businessman, railways manager and politician.

Mackley was born in Port Chalmers.^[1] He became general manager of New Zealand Railways in 1933. During his tenure, Mackley worked hard to improve the standard and range of services provided by the railways. He won approval for the construction of an inspection car known as the "Red Terror" in which he travelled the entire system inspecting stations and meeting staff. The car’s success encouraged him to order the construction of railcars that were to serve the railways for many years, specifically the Wairarapa, Standard, and Vulcan classes.

He also wanted to improve the comfort of passengers, and initiated a local building program which provided the basis of passenger carriage stock for many years.

In 1940 he retired, and was made managing director of the Whakatane Paper Mills.

Mackley then entered politics, becoming a Member of Parliament for the New Zealand National Party. He was elected as the MP for Masterton (1943–1946) and then for Wairarapa (1946–1949), after which he retired.

In 1950 he was appointed to the Legislative Council by National, as a member of the so-called suicide squad charged with voting for the abolition of the Council (or Upper House).

External links

• Photos of Mackley and the Red Terror
• 1938 message as General Manager NZR

References

• Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103. 
• Gustafson, Barry (1986). The First 50 Years : A History of the New Zealand National Party. Auckland: Reed Methuen. ISBN 0-474-00177-6.