1. Charles Melville Louisson, known as Charles Louisson or Chas Louisson, was a New Zealand politician.
27 Facts About Charles Louisson
1. 2.
Charles Louisson held other public offices, for example as Freemason and as a trustee of a benevolent trust.
3.
Charles Louisson helped secure the site of the Addington Raceway and was responsible for greatly extending the area.
4.
Charles Louisson was the son of George Melville Louisson, a London umbrella maker originally from Portsmouth.
5.
Charles Louisson was born in 1840 in London and educated at Gravesend.
6.
Charles Louisson subsequently went gold mining at Ballarat and other places.
7.
Charles Louisson arrived in Canterbury in 1865 to join his brother Alfred, and they had a business for the short time to carry goods over the Port Hills.
8.
Charles Louisson was associated with the Volunteers, as sergeant major of the Westland Light Horse.
9.
Charles Louisson then moved to Marlborough for sheep farming, but the business was not lucrative.
10.
Alfred and Charles Louisson returned to Christchurch in 1871 and they were joined by their brother Cecil.
11.
Charles Louisson was the first president of the Christchurch Beautifying Association.
12.
On 3 July 1878 Charles Louisson married Hannah Harris, the second daughter of Maurice Harris JP of Christchurch, at Beth El Synagogue.
13.
Charles Louisson entered into local politics as a member of the Christchurch City Council, in which he served for six years, and was mayor from 1887 to 1889, and again from 1897 to 1899.
14.
Charles Louisson retired at the end of the term in September 1887 and did not stand for re-election.
15.
Charles Louisson first stood for the mayoralty in 1886, after a public request made by the other eleven councillors, nine ex mayors and 13 ex councillors.
16.
Charles Louisson declined by basically stating that Louisson was the stronger candidate.
17.
Charles Louisson retired at the end of his second year, and Samuel Manning, as the only contender, was declared mayor elect on 21 November 1889 and installed in December 1889.
18.
Charles Louisson was again asked to stand for mayor in September 1897.
19.
Charles Louisson was succeeded by William Reece, who was elected unopposed on 20 November 1899 and installed as mayor on 20 December 1899.
20.
Charles Louisson was afterwards a member of the Charitable Aid Board and the North Canterbury Hospital Board, and official visitor of the Deaf and Dumb Institution at Sumner, and deputy inspector of the Sunnyside Lunatic Asylum.
21.
Charles Louisson was called to the Legislative Council on 22 December 1900.
22.
Charles Louisson was a member of the Canterbury Jockey Club and a steward of the NZ Metropolitan Trotting Club in Christchurch.
23.
The trotting club used to be based at Lancaster Park in Waltham, and Charles Louisson helped to obtain land in Addington, where Addington Raceway has been since 1899.
24.
The Charles Louisson Handicap was an annual race that was held for many years.
25.
Charles Louisson donated the trophy for the New Zealand Trotting Cup, which he had manufactured in England.
26.
Charles Louisson was buried at Linwood Cemetery two days later.
27.
Charles Louisson's wife died on 18 November 1928 at home and was buried two days later in the grave next to him.