Ernst Peterson Hay (7 July 1886 – 31 December 1955) was a New Zealand lawyer and judge who was the Mayor of Lower Hutt from 1947 to 1949.

Ernst Peterson Hay
12th Mayor of Lower Hutt
In office
9 June 1947 – 20 January 1949
DeputyWilliam Gregory
Preceded byJack Andrews
Succeeded byWilliam Gregory
Personal details
Born7 July 1886
Lawrence, New Zealand
Died31 December 1955
Lower Hutt, New Zealand
SpouseAgnes Mitchell
Children5
OccupationLawyer

Biography

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He was born in Lawrence in 1886 to William Hay. He was educated at Lawrence District High School and later became an assistant solicitor at the Public Trust Office in 1910. He was later a lawyer at the Wellington firm of Mazengarb, Hay and Macalister (founded 1918) with Ossie Mazengarb and Robert Macalister. He was also the President of the Wellington Rotary Club in 1939. During World War II Hay acted as chairman of the Armed Forces Appeal Board at Wellington. He was married to Agnes Mitchell with whom he had two sons and three daughters.[1] His brother was Christchurch businessman and city councillor Sir James Hay.[2]

He was a member of the Lower Hutt Borough Council from 1938 to 1947.[3] In June 1947 the mayor, Jack Andrews, resigned and the councillors elected Hay as mayor for the remainder of the term until the scheduled election in November.[4] He was re-elected mayor at the November 1947 election.[5] In 1948 he was appointed as a Judge of the Supreme Court of New Zealand. After joining the judiciary he resigned as mayor on 20 January 1949.[1]

He retired in February 1955, owing to illness, and later died on 31 December that year.[1][6] He was cremated, and had his ashes interred at the Karori Cemetery crematorium.[7] His wife Agnes, who was a benefactor and volunteer for the Red Cross and Women's Guild, died in 1959.[8]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Simpson 1956, pp. 117.
  2. ^ "Appointment of New Judge". The Press. Vol. LXXXIV, no. 25686. 24 December 1948. p. 8.
  3. ^ McGill 1991, pp. 216.
  4. ^ "Mr. Hay New Mayor". Hutt News. Vol. 21, no. 2. 11 June 1947. p. 7.
  5. ^ McGill 1991, pp. 212.
  6. ^ "Obituary – Mr Justice Hay". The Press. Vol. XCIII, no. 27856. 3 January 1956. p. 10.
  7. ^ "Ernst Peterson Hay". Wellington City Council. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  8. ^ "Obituary – Mrs. E. P. Hay". Hutt News. 28 January 1959. p. 5.

References

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  • Simpson, Frank Alexander (1956). Who's Who in New Zealand, 1956 (6th ed.). Wellington: A.H. & A.W. Reed.
  • McGill, David (1991). Lower Hutt – The First Garden City. Petone, New Zealand: Lower Hutt City Council. ISBN 1-86956-003-5.
  • Millar, David P. (1972). Once Upon a Village: A History of Lower Hutt 1819-1965. Lower Hutt: New Zealand University Press & LHCC. OCLC 154232923.
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Lower Hutt
1947–1949
Succeeded by