Tom Macdonald (politician)
Sir Thomas Lachlan (Tom) Macdonald KCMG (14 December 1898 – 11 April 1980) was a New Zealand politician of the National Party. He served in both World Wars. He was a High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.
Early life and war service
He was born in Invercargill in 1898.[1] His parents were Thomas Forsaith Macdonald, a farmer, and Margaret Ann Matheson. One of his great-grandfathers, Thomas Forsaith, was a member of the 1st New Zealand Parliament. Macdonald was educated at South School and Southland Boys' High School. He was in the NZEF in Palestine in World War I, and in World War II he served in Egypt, rising to the rank of captain until he was invalided home in 1943.[2]
Political career
| New Zealand Parliament | ||||
| Years | Term | Electorate | Party | |
| 1938–1943 | 26th | Mataura | National | |
| 1943–1946 | 27th | Mataura | National | |
| 1946–1949 | 28th | Wallace | National | |
| 1949–1951 | 29th | Wallace | National | |
| 1951–1954 | 30th | Wallace | National | |
| 1954–1957 | 31st | Wallace | National | |
He was the Member of Parliament for Mataura 1938 to 1946, then Wallace 1946 to 1957, when he retired.[3] He was Minister of Defence (1949–1957), Minister of External Affairs (1954–1957), and Minister of Island Territories (1955–1957) in the First National Government.[4][5] From 1961 to 1967 he was the New Zealand High Commissioner to the United Kingdom.[1]
Later life and death
He was made a KCMG in 1963. He died in 1980.[1]
Notes
- 1 2 3 Gustafson 1986, p. 329.
- ↑ Templeton, Malcolm (1 September 2010). "Macdonald, Thomas Lachlan - Biography". Dictionary of New Zealand Biography. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
- ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 214.
- ↑ Wilson 1985, p. 87.
- ↑ New Zealand Parliamentary Debates, Vols. 307-314 (1955-1956).
References
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Thomas Lachlan MacDonald. |
- Gustafson, Barry (1986). From the Cradle to the Grave: a biography of Michael Joseph Savage. Auckland: Reed Methuen. ISBN 0-474-00138-5.
- Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
| New Zealand Parliament | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by David McDougall |
Member of Parliament for Mataura 1938–1946 |
Constituency abolished |
| Preceded by Adam Hamilton |
Member of Parliament for Wallace 1946–1957 |
Succeeded by Brian Talboys |
| Diplomatic posts | ||
| Preceded by Clifton Webb Dick Campbell (acting) George Laking (acting) |
High Commissioner of New Zealand to the United Kingdom 1961–1968 |
Succeeded by Denis Blundell |