Richard William McVilly LVO (1862 – 6 April 1949) was the General Manager of New Zealand Railways from 1919 to 1924.[1]
Biography edit
Early life and career edit
Born in Otago and educated in Dunedin and Invercargill, he joined the railways department in 1879.
He was a lawyer and acted in court for the railways department, e.g. in 1909 before the North Island Railway Appeal Board.[2]
During World War I his predecessor E. H. Hiley was serving in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force, so McVilly was acting General Manager.[1]
In 1919 he was appointed as General Manager.[3][4] and retired in 1924.[5][6][7][8]
He was made a member of the Victorian Order in the 1920 New Zealand Royal Visit Honours. After retiring he was Managing Director of Black and White Cabs in Wellington.[1]
Political career edit
He was elected a Wellington City Councillor in 1927.[9] Although councillors were rarely given a committee chairmanship during their first term, McVilly was made chairman of the council staff committee.[10] Elected on the Citizens League ticket he was defeated at the 1929 election standing as an independent.[11] He made another attempt at standing for the city council in 1938 but was unsuccessful.[12]
Other activities edit
He was a keen sportsman, was president of the New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association for 15 years and the first honorary life member)[13] presented the McVilly Cup, was Chairman of the New Zealand Rowing Association, and was a member of the New Zealand and Wellington Rowing Associations.[14][15]
References edit
- ^ a b c "Obituary: Mr R W McVilly". Otago Daily Times. No. 27050. 7 April 1949.
- ^ *"Railway Appeal Board (1909)". National Library (NZ). 2023.
- ^ "Manager of Railways - Mr R. W. McVilly Appointed". King Country Chronicle. Vol. XII, no. 1172. 11 February 1919. p. 5.
- ^ "The Railway Cut". The Press. Vol. LV, no. 16598. 11 August 1919. p. 6.
- ^ "Railway Improvements". The New Zealand Herald. Vol. LVII, no. 17527. 20 July 1920. p. 6.
- ^ "South a Burden". Manawatu Times. Vol. XLVIII, no. 2403. 23 June 1924. p. 4.
- ^ "Mr McVilly to retire". Auckland Star. Vol. LV, no. 282. 27 November 1924. p. 4.
- ^ "Costly South Island". Auckland Star. Vol. LV, no. 147. 23 June 1924. p. 13.
- ^ "Councillor McVilly". The Dominion. Vol. 20, no. 184. 3 May 1927. p. 10.
- ^ Betts, George (1970). Betts on Wellington: A City and its Politics. Wellington: A. H. & A. W. Reed Ltd. p. 204. ISBN 0-589-00469-7.
- ^ "City Council". The Evening Post. Vol. CVII, no. 81. 9 April 1929. p. 10.
- ^ "Wellington City Council". The Evening Post. Vol. CXXV, no. 115. 18 May 1938. p. 4. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
- ^ "R W McVilly". NZETC. 1940.
- ^ "Preominent Amateur Athletics Officials (photo)". National Library of New Zealand. 1933.
- ^ "Amateur Athletics". Waikato Times. Vol. 102, no. 17259. 22 November 1927. p. 2.
External links edit
Media related to Richard McVilly at Wikimedia Commons
