Charles Louisson

Charles Louisson
Charles Louisson in ca 1888
New Zealand Legislative Council
In office 1900–1924
15th Mayor of Christchurch
In office 1887–1889
Preceded by	Aaron Ayers
Succeeded by	Samuel Manning
In office 1897–1899
Preceded by	Walter Cooper
Succeeded by	William Reece
Personal details
Born	1842 London
Died	19 April 1924 (aged 82) Strowan, Christchurch
Spouse(s)	Hannah Louisson (m. 1878)
Profession	brewer, businessman
Religion	Jewish

Charles Melville Louisson (1842 – 19 April 1924), known as Charles Louisson or Chas Louisson, was a New Zealand politician. Born in London, and relocated to Australia as a teenager, he worked in farming and on the gold fields. He moved to Christchurch to join his brother Alfred in business, which they conducted in transport, as merchants and farmers in various places in the South Island. Back in Christchurch, they were joined by their brother Cecil and bought a brewery, which under their stewardship became very successful.

With financial security behind him, Louisson first became a councillor for Christchurch City Council for six years (1881–1887) before being elected Mayor of Christchurch (1887–1889 and 1897–1899). In all of his two elections as councillor, and four elections as mayor, he was returned unopposed. Subsequently to his retirement from the mayoralty, he was appointed to the Legislative Council (1900–1924). He held other public offices, for example as Freemason and as a trustee of a benevolent trust. For the last 18 years of his life, he was the president of the NZ Metropolitan Trotting Club (NZMTC) in Christchurch. He helped secure the site of the Addington Raceway and was responsible for greatly extending the area.

Louisson was born in 1842 in London and educated at Gravesend. At age 14, he arrived in Melbourne and had experience of station life in the country such as stock-riding and horse-breaking. He subsequently went gold mining at Ballarat and other places. He arrived in Canterbury in 1865 to join his brother Alfred, and they had a business for the short time to carry goods over the Port Hills (this was just prior to the opening of the Lyttelton Rail Tunnel). The brothers moved to Hokitika, where they worked as general merchants. Charles Louisson was associated with the Volunteers, as sergeant major of the Westland Light Horse. Louisson then moved to Marlborough for sheep farming, but the business was not lucrative. The brothers then moved to Southbridge and had a small farm there.