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
| 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 from 1949 to 1957 and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1954 to 1957 in the First National Government.[4]
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
- ^ a b c 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.
References
- Gustafson, Barry (1986). From the Cradle to the Grave: a biography of Michael Joseph Savage. Auckland: Reed Methuen. ISBN 0-474-00138-5.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help) - Wilson, James Oakley (1985) [First published in 1913]. New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 (4th ed.). Wellington: V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer. OCLC 154283103.
{{cite book}}: Invalid|ref=harv(help)
- 1898 births
- 1980 deaths
- People educated at Southland Boys' High School
- Knights Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
- New Zealand defence ministers
- New Zealand diplomats
- New Zealand foreign ministers
- New Zealand National Party MPs
- New Zealand military personnel of World War I
- New Zealand military personnel of World War II
- People from Invercargill
- New Zealand people of Scottish descent
- High Commissioners of New Zealand to the United Kingdom
- Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
- New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates
- New Zealand knights