Sir Hugh John Dyke Acland (17 January 1904 – 26 January 1981) was a New Zealand politician of the
National Party.
Early life
Acland was born in 1904 in
Christchurch
Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...
. His parents were Sir
Hugh Acland (1874–1956), a prominent surgeon in New Zealand, and Evelyn Mary Acland (née Ovans). His great-grandfather was
Sir Thomas Dyke Acland, 10th Baronet. His brother-in-law was Sir
John Ormond. His cousin was Felicity Lusk, headmistress. He was educated at Waihi School and
Christ's College.
When riding his motorbike, Acland was hit by a car on Christchurch's Park Terrace in October 1924. He suffered a complex break of his leg just above the ankle, and spent over a month in bed at his parents’ house,
Chippenham Lodge. With
Frederick Wilding as his lawyer, he won a substantial compensation from the driver, and used the money to have his leg reset in England, where he spent one year. Despite this, he limped for the rest of his life.
On 12 June 1935, Acland married Katherine "Kit" Wilder Ormond, daughter of John Davies Ormond Jr. and granddaughter of
John Davies Ormond Sr. The wedding was held at St Mary's Church at
Waipukurau.
He worked on farms in South Canterbury, was a stockman and a driver. He worked in various jobs in Australia for some time before taking on the management of Mount Peel Station, which had been established by his grandfather,
John Acland. Due to his leg injury, he was rejected by the army.
Political career
He was elected to Parliament in the
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...
electorate of
Temuka in the , filling the vacancy caused by the death of
Thomas Burnett. He was confirmed in the
1943 general election. The Temuka electorate was abolished for the , when he stood in the electorate and was defeated by the incumbent from the
Labour Party,
Clyde Carr.
Acland gained prominence in the wool industry. He chaired the
New Zealand Wool Board (1960–1972) and was vice-president of the
International Wool Secretariat. He 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 ...
in the
1968 Queen's Birthday Honours, for services to the wool industry.
He died on 27 January 1981.
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Acland, Hugh
New Zealand National Party MPs
1904 births
1981 deaths
Jack
Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives
New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates
Unsuccessful candidates in the 1946 New Zealand general election
New Zealand justices of the peace
New Zealand Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Politicians from Christchurch
People educated at Christ's College, Christchurch
20th-century New Zealand politicians
Ormond family
Harper family
Strachey family