Charles Edward de la Barca MacMillan (December 1872 – 9 January 1941) was a New Zealand politician. He was Mayor of Tauranga (1915–1917) and a member of the House of Representatives (1923–1935).

Early life

MacMillan was born in Saint Croix in the Danish West Indies in December 1872. His father, Donald MacMillan, had been a paymaster with the Royal Navy and was later a sugar planter. His mother, Maria Elise Barca, was the Baroness de la Barca, the daughter of Baron de la Barca. Following an uprising by workers in 1879, the MacMillans left Saint Croix. MacMillan came to New Zealand with his parents and two siblings on the ''May Queen'' in 1881. They were part of the

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Special Settlement to

Te Puke Te Puke is a town located 18 kilometres southeast of Tauranga in the Western Bay of Plenty of New Zealand. It is particularly well-known for the cultivation of Kiwifruit. Te Puke is close to Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, Papamoa, and Maketu, whi ...

, however his father wanted to be closer to the sea and thus bought land at Katikati. In 1900, he married Ethel Latham. They moved to Tauranga in 1908.

Political career

MacMillan was the 15th Mayor of Tauranga and served from 1915 to 1917. In the 1915 mayoral election, he defeated

John Cuthbert Adams John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

. In the 1917 mayoral election, Adams narrowly defeated MacMillan (by 292 to 276 votes). Standing for the Reform Party, he won the Tauranga electorate in the 1923 by-election after the death of

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, and held it to

1935 Events January * January 7 – Italian premier Benito Mussolini and French Foreign Minister Pierre Laval conclude Franco-Italian Agreement of 1935, an agreement, in which each power agrees not to oppose the other's colonial claims. * ...

when he was defeated by the

Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...

candidate, Charles Burnett. He was a cabinet minister in the United–Reform Coalition government ( Minister of Agriculture and Minister of Mines from 13 February 1932 to 6 December 1935). He was subsequently granted the right to retain the title of "Honourable", having served more than three years as a member of the Executive Council. In 1935, he was awarded the

King George V Silver Jubilee Medal The King George V Silver Jubilee Medal is a commemorative medal, instituted to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the accession of King George V. Issue This medal was awarded as a personal souvenir by King George V to commemorate his Silver J ...

Death

MacMillan died in Tauranga on 9 January 1941. He was survived by his wife, his son, two daughters, and two sisters.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Macmillan, Charles 1872 births 1941 deaths People from Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands Mayors of Tauranga Reform Party (New Zealand) MPs Unsuccessful candidates in the 1935 New Zealand general election Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives New Zealand MPs for North Island electorates