1. Sir Thomas Mackenzie was a Scottish-born New Zealand politician and explorer who briefly served as the 18th prime minister of New Zealand in 1912, and later served as New Zealand High Commissioner in London.
17 Facts About Thomas Mackenzie
1. 2.
Thomas Mackenzie's family emigrated to New Zealand in 1858 when he was four and Mackenzie was educated at Green Island School and at the Stone School, both in Dunedin.
3.
Thomas Mackenzie gained employment at the Department of Lands and Survey and worked in several locations including the Hutt Valley, Rangitikei and Manawatu before finally returning to his home area in Dunedin.
4.
Thomas Mackenzie managed the business well and it developed well before he sold it in 1886 for a considerable profit.
5.
Thomas Mackenzie was a member of expeditions to the Tautuku Forest, the wild country between Milford Sound and Lake Te Anau, and the Matterhorn Mountains.
6.
Thomas Mackenzie was the first person to try to map an overland route to Dusky Sound.
7.
Thomas Mackenzie crossed the land between Lake Te Anau and Lake Wakatipu in 1907.
8.
Thomas Mackenzie resigned in 1896 to assess the British markets for New Zealand products and remained in his native land for three years.
9.
Thomas Mackenzie served as Minister of Lands in his own government.
10.
Thomas Mackenzie's Ministry was criticised by both the opposition and Liberal dissidents.
11.
Liberal MP Roderick McKenzie stated that Thomas Mackenzie's ministers were political novices who had forsaken their liberal principles and John Millar should have been Ward's successor as Prime Minister.
12.
The Thomas Mackenzie government survived only until July 1912 when he lost a vote of no confidence moved by the opposition.
13.
Thomas Mackenzie did so believing the Liberal Party's policies and reforms had become too mainstream and entrenched for them to be abolished.
14.
Thomas Mackenzie served in this role until 1920 during which time he carried an unexpectedly high workload due to the advent of World War I Thomas Mackenzie was New Zealand delegate at the peace conferences with Austria, Bulgaria and Turkey in 1919, a member of the Dardanelles Commission and the Imperial War Graves Commission.
15.
Thomas Mackenzie died in Dunedin on 4 February 1930 of heart failure and was buried in the Dunedin Northern Cemetery.
16.
Thomas Mackenzie was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George in the 1916 New Year Honours and promoted to Knight Grand Cross in June 1920.
17.
Thomas Mackenzie followed his father in becoming, briefly, a Member of Parliament.