Charles Mackay | |
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 Charles Mackay | |
| Born | June 29, 1875 Nelson, New Zealand |
| Died | May 3, 1929 (aged 53) Berlin, Germany |
| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Occupation | Mayor |
| Known for | Former mayor of Whanganui, later charged with attempted murder |
| Spouse | Isobel Mary Agnes Duncan |
Charles Ewing Mackay (later known as Charles Evan Mackay) was a New Zealand lawyer, local politician, and former mayor of Whanganui. He was convicted for the attempted murder of Walter D'Arcy Cresswell in 1920. [1]
Mackay was born in Whakatū/Nelson, New Zealand on June 29 1875. His parents were Jessie Wilkie, and Joseph Mackay (who was the headmaster of Wellington College between 1881 and 1891). [1]
Mackay attended Wellington College and later transferred to Canterbury College in 1890. After finishing his school education, Mackay went to university and obtained a Bachelor of Arts in 1895 and a Bachelor of Laws in 1900. He was admitted to the bar in 1901. [1]
Mackay started a law firm in Whanganui in 1902. He then joined the Mataongaonga Road Board in 1904 and the Wanganui Borough Council in November 1905. In 1906, Mackay was elected as Mayor of Whanganui, a position which he held in two separate terms (1906-1913, and 1915-1920). During his tenure as mayor, Mackay pushed for infrastructure within Whanganui such as tramways and improved roads. [1] He also played a significant role in the 1919 establishment of the Sarjeant Gallery. [2] He was involved in the procurement of pieces to display in the gallery and also launched a competition to determine the design of the building. [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. [3]
Mackay met Walter D'Arcy Cresswell in 1920 whilst still holding the position of Mayor of Whanganui. On May 15 1920, the pair got into an argument which ultimately resulted in Mackay shooting Cresswell. [1] Cresswell survived the attack but sustained serious injuries due to a bullet wound in his chest. [4]
It was alleged that Mackay made advances on Cresswell, who responded by threatening to publicly expose his homosexuality. [1] Male homosexuality was not legal in New Zealand at the time. [5]
Mackay plead guilty to the attempted murder of Cresswell and provided no legal defence. He was convicted to 15 years imprisonment and was subsequently sent to Mount Eden prison in Tāmaki Makaurau/Auckland. He was released early in 1926 on the condition that he left New Zealand. [1] Newspapers at the time indicated that many people found Mackay's release unfair, and speculated that he was given leniency due to his political past. [6]
Mackay moved to Berlin as a language teacher and part-time correspondent for The Sunday Express . [5] In his latter function, he reported on the communist street riots of May Day 1929, where he was fatally shot by a police officer who had mistaken him for a rioter. Mackay died on May 3 1929. [1]
Following Mackay's conviction, efforts were made by Whanganui authorities to distance themselves from him. In the 1920s, the recently named Mackay Street was renamed Jellicoe Street. [7]
In recent times, more sympathetic views have been taken. In the 1980s, efforts were made by LGBTQ activists to have Mackay's name placed back into the Sarjeant Gallery foundation stone. [8] Additionally, the site of the shooting was listed as a heritage building, with Heritage New Zealand noting it as a key indication of "the history of homosexual lives in Aotearoa/New Zealand". [9]
In 2022, Paul Diamond wrote a book about Mackay's life called Downfall: The Destruction of Charles Mackay. [10]
Mackay married Isobel Mary Agnes Duncan on January 20 1904. The couple had two children. After Mackay's conviction, Duncan divorced him. [1]
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. Whanganui is the 19th most-populous urban area in New Zealand and the second-most-populous in Manawatū-Whanganui, with a population of 42,800 as of June 2023.
The Whanganui River is a major river in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the country's third-longest river, and has special status owing to its importance to the region's Māori people. In March 2017 it became the world's second natural resource to be given its own legal identity, with the rights, duties and liabilities of a legal person. The Whanganui Treaty settlement brought the longest-running litigation in New Zealand history to an end.
The Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui at Pukenamu, Queen's Park Whanganui is currently closed for redevelopment. The temporary premises at Sarjeant on the Quay, 38 Taupo Quay currently house the Sarjeant Collection, and all exhibitions and events. The Sarjeant Gallery is a regional art museum with a collection of international and New Zealand art.
The mayor of Whanganui is the head of the Whanganui District Council. Since 1872, there have been 29 mayors. Andrew Tripe is the current mayor.
Edith Marion Collier was an early modern painter from New Zealand. Brought up and educated in Wanganui, Edith received a thorough although conservative art education studying at the Technical School in Whanganui. At the age of 27 Edith then travelled to Britain in 1913 and studied at the St John's Wood School of Art in London and toured throughout the United Kingdom, executing works in St. Ives, Cornwall; Glasgow Scotland; Bonmahn, Southern Ireland among others. Through her works, Edith explored the media of oil paint, watercolour, printmaking and pencil drawing. After spending almost a decade receiving professional artistic training, Edith returned to provincial Whanganui where her works were met with criticism as a result of her assimilation into the radical innovations of British modernism and New Zealand's dissimilar art scene at the time. For this reason, her work is largely unknown at home and overseas.
Philip Anthony Clairmont (1949–1984) was a New Zealand painter.
Hōri Pukehika was a New Zealand Māori tribal leader and woodcarver.
Walter D'Arcy Cresswell was a New Zealand poet, journalist and writer.
Paul Rayner is an English-New Zealand ceramicist known for his work creating pop culture figures in the tradition of Toby jugs and Staffordshire figurines.
The Tylee Cottage Residency is an artist-in-residence programme facilitated by the Sarjeant Gallery in Whanganui, New Zealand. The scheme began in 1986 as a partnership between the Sarjeant Gallery, the Wanganui District Council and the QEII Arts Council of New Zealand. It was established by gallery director, Bill Milbank, QEII Arts Council adviser, John McCormack, and inaugural artist, Laurence Aberhart. It is currently managed by the Sarjeant Gallery and funded by the Wanganui District Council. Each year, the selected artist works full-time on their work for 2–12 months and resides in Tylee Cottage. Tylee Cottage was built in 1853 and is one of Whanganui's oldest homes.
Anne Lysbeth Noble is a New Zealand photographer and Distinguished Professor of Fine Art (Photography) at Massey University's College of Creative Arts. Her work includes series of photographs examining Antarctica, her own daughter's mouth, and our relationship with nature.
The Wanganui Computer Centre bombing occurred in Wanganui, New Zealand, in 1982. The event was carried out to protest New Zealand's ability to record the personal information of citizens which was seen as potentially dangerous by civil libertarians. The Computer Centre continued to operate until its closure in 2005.
Putiki is a settlement in the Whanganui District and Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island, located across the Whanganui River from Whanganui city. It includes the intersection of State Highway 3 and State Highway 4.
Whanganui Central is the central business district and central suburb of Whanganui, in the Whanganui District and Manawatū-Whanganui region of New Zealand's North Island.
Joan Grehan was a New Zealand artist.
Regan Gentry is a New Zealand artist and sculptor. He has held a number of artist in residence positions and his work can be seen in public spaces throughout New Zealand. His artworks are often constructed from recycled or repurposed items such as gorse bushes and road safety barriers.
Minnie P. Izett (1862–1924) was a New Zealand artist. Her work is held in the collection of the Sarjeant Gallery in Wanganui.
Pura McGregor, also known as Pura Makarika, was a community leader in Whanganui, New Zealand, and the first Māori woman to receive an MBE. She was of Ngā Poutama, Ngāti Ruāka and Ngāti Rangi descent.
Gordon Harold Brown is a New Zealand art historian, curator, and artist.
William Handley Milbank was a New Zealand art curator and gallery director. He served as the director of the Sarjeant Gallery in Whanganui for 27 years, between 1978 and 2006.
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