Thomas Charles Atkinson Hislop
Encyclopedia
Thomas Charles Atkinson Hislop (1888–1965) was the Mayor of Wellington
from 1931 to 1944.
He was a Wellington City Councillor
from 1913 to 1915, when he resigned to serve in the Wellington Regiment in World War I. He became a Councillor again from 1927 to 1931, and then Mayor from 1931 to 1945.
He was the political leader of the Democrat Party organised by Albert Davy
in 1934-35. The party was anti-socialist, but in the 1935 general election
its main effect was to split the anti-Labour vote, and it disappeared soon afterwards. Mayor Tom Hislop was seen as a remote, even erratic figure, and his right-wing views regularly brought him into conflict with the wartime Labour government. But the attack on Hubert Nathan a Jew and Citizens candidate for the Harbour Board by some trade unionists resulted in the defeat of all the Labour candidates to the Council in 1941
In 1940 Noël Coward
was on a world entertainment and propaganda tour, and at a mayoral reception in Wellington had a set-to with the Mayoress who seemed to me to suffer from delusions of grandeur .... She said to me in ringing tones that I was never to dare to sing "The Stately Homes of England" again as it was an insult to the homeland and that neither she or anybody else liked it. I replied coldly that for many years it had been one of my greatest successes, whereupon she announced triumphantly to everyone within earshot: 'You see - he can’t take criticism!' Irritated beyond endurance I replied that I was perfectly prepared to take intelligent criticism at any time, but I was not prepared to tolerate bad manners. With this I bowed austerely and left the party.
Hislop was Chairman of the Wellington Provincial Centennial Council and the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition Company from 1937; the Centennial was in 1940.
He was High Commissioner to Canada from 1950 to 1957.
His father Thomas William Hislop
was Mayor of Wellington from 1905 to 1908.
Mayor of Wellington
The Mayor of Wellington is the head of the municipal government of Wellington, New Zealand, and presides over the Wellington City Council. The Mayor of Wellington administers only Wellington City itself — other municipalities in adjacent areas of the Wellington Region such as Lower Hutt, Upper...
from 1931 to 1944.
He was a Wellington City Councillor
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
from 1913 to 1915, when he resigned to serve in the Wellington Regiment in World War I. He became a Councillor again from 1927 to 1931, and then Mayor from 1931 to 1945.
He was the political leader of the Democrat Party organised by Albert Davy
Albert Davy
Albert Ernest Davy was a New Zealand political organiser and campaign manager; and at the height of his career, was regarded by some as the best in the country...
in 1934-35. The party was anti-socialist, but in the 1935 general election
New Zealand general election, 1935
The 1935 New Zealand general election was a nationwide vote to determine the shape of the New Zealand Parliament's 25th term. It resulted in the Labour Party's first electoral victory, with Michael Joseph Savage becoming the first Labour Prime Minister...
its main effect was to split the anti-Labour vote, and it disappeared soon afterwards. Mayor Tom Hislop was seen as a remote, even erratic figure, and his right-wing views regularly brought him into conflict with the wartime Labour government. But the attack on Hubert Nathan a Jew and Citizens candidate for the Harbour Board by some trade unionists resulted in the defeat of all the Labour candidates to the Council in 1941
In 1940 Noël Coward
Noël Coward
Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise".Born in Teddington, a suburb of London, Coward attended a dance academy...
was on a world entertainment and propaganda tour, and at a mayoral reception in Wellington had a set-to with the Mayoress who seemed to me to suffer from delusions of grandeur .... She said to me in ringing tones that I was never to dare to sing "The Stately Homes of England" again as it was an insult to the homeland and that neither she or anybody else liked it. I replied coldly that for many years it had been one of my greatest successes, whereupon she announced triumphantly to everyone within earshot: 'You see - he can’t take criticism!' Irritated beyond endurance I replied that I was perfectly prepared to take intelligent criticism at any time, but I was not prepared to tolerate bad manners. With this I bowed austerely and left the party.
Hislop was Chairman of the Wellington Provincial Centennial Council and the New Zealand Centennial Exhibition Company from 1937; the Centennial was in 1940.
He was High Commissioner to Canada from 1950 to 1957.
His father Thomas William Hislop
Thomas William Hislop
Thomas William Hislop was the Mayor of Wellington from 1905 to 1908, and had represented two South Island electorates in the New Zealand Parliament.-Early life:...
was Mayor of Wellington from 1905 to 1908.