Sir Alexander McKenzie (26 October 1896 – 20 August 1992) was a New Zealand sharebroker and company director. He served as president of the

National Party National Party or Nationalist Party may refer to: Active parties * National Party of Australia, commonly known as ''The Nationals'' * Bangladesh: ** Bangladesh Nationalist Party ** Jatiya Party (Ershad) a.k.a. ''National Party (Ershad)'' * Californ ...

from 1951 to 1962.

Biography

Born in

Invercargill Invercargill ( , ) is the southernmost and westernmost list of cities in New Zealand, city in New Zealand, and one of the Southernmost settlements, southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland Region, Southlan ...

on 26 October 1896, McKenzie was the son of Alexander and Isabella McKenzie. He was educated at Southland Technical College and

Southland Boys' High School Southland Boys' High School (SBHS) is an all-boys school in Invercargill, New Zealand, and has been the only one in the city since Marist Brothers was merged with St Catherines to form Verdon College in 1982. History SBHS was founded in 1881, ...

. McKenzie enlisted in the

New Zealand Expeditionary Force The New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) was the title of the military forces sent from New Zealand to fight alongside other British Empire and Dominion troops during World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945). Ultimately, the NZE ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

on 14 November 1916, and saw active service in France with the

New Zealand Rifle Brigade The New Zealand Rifle Brigade (Earl of Liverpool's Own), affectionately known as The Dinks, was formed on 1 May 1915 as the third brigade of the New Zealand Division, part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Force. During the First World War it fough ...

. He was wounded in action on 18 August 1917, and was subsequently assessed as being permanently unfit for active service and returned to New Zealand for discharge. McKenzie married Constance Mary Howard on 10 October 1935, and the couple went on to have four children. McKenzie was a sharebroker, underwriter, and director of several companies. He was chair of the Auckland division of the National Party from 1942 until being elected as party president in 1951, in which role he served until 1962. In the

1962 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1962 were appointments in many of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countrie ...

, McKenzie was appointed a

Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

, for political services. He died in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

on 20 August 1992, aged 95.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McKenzie, Alex 1896 births 1992 deaths People from Invercargill People educated at Aurora College (Invercargill) People educated at Southland Boys' High School New Zealand Military Forces personnel of World War I New Zealand National Party politicians New Zealand stockbrokers New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire New Zealand Army soldiers