{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}} {{Use New Zealand English|date=August 2014}} [[File:David Luckie.jpg|thumb|right|David Luckie]] '''David Mitchell Luckie''' (5 October 1827 – 6 May 1909) was a 19th-century [[Member of parliament|Member of Parliament]] from [[Nelson, New Zealand|Nelson]], New Zealand.
== Background == Luckie was born in Montrose, Forfarshire, Scotland, on 5 October 1827. He was the son of Thomas Luckie, a merchant, and Mary Mitchell. Educated in Montrose he first worked in a mercantile office, then as a law clerk before working starting his newspaper career. He married Fanny Clara Dickinson on 23 April 1861 at Ashton under Lyne, Lancashire.<ref>{{cite web|last=Harvey |first=Ross |url=http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/2l20/1 |title=Luckie, David Mitchell – Biography – Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand |publisher=Teara.govt.nz |date= |access-date=12 April 2012}}</ref>
Luckie emigrated New Zealand in 1863 with his family, shortly after being offered the editorship of the ''Arbroath Guide''.
== Newspaper career == He became editor and part owner, with William Nation, of the ''Colonist'' in [[Nelson, New Zealand|Nelson]]. His first editorial appeared on 31 March 1863, the day after he arrived on the ''Electra'' from [[London]]. He became noted for the "stinging lash of his invective and sarcasm". In 1873 Luckie moved to [[Auckland]] to become editor of the ''Daily Southern Cross'', and from 1 January 1877 was associated with William Berry in the editorship of ''[[The New Zealand Herald]]'' after the two newspapers merged.
=== Maungatapu murders === Luckie achieved national prominence in 1866 for his part in apprehending the four men found guilty of the [[Maungatapu murders]]. He had chaired a meeting to raise money for a search for the missing party. He also reported the court proceedings and published an illustrated narrative of the murders.
=== The Russian Scare === Luckie, along with many New Zealanders, was concerned about the possibility of a Russian invasion. In 1873 he published a hoax report in the ''Daily Southern Cross'' about a Russian invasion of Auckland by the cruiser ''Kaskowiski'' (cask of whisky). Many Aucklanders believed the report and were alarmed to read that the crew of the ''Kaskowiski'' had seized gold and taken the mayor as hostage.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nzhistory.govt.nz/the-russians-are-coming |title='The Russians are coming!' | NZHistory, New Zealand history online |publisher=Nzhistory.net.nz |date= |access-date=12 April 2012}}</ref>
== Political career == {{NZ parlbox header|nolist=true|align=right}} {{NZ parlbox |start = {{By-election link year|Nelson|1872}} |end = 1875 |term = 5th |electorate = {{NZ electorate link|Nelson}} |party = Independent politician }} {{End}} Luckie unsuccessfully contested the City of Nelson electorate for the House of Representatives in February 1866. He did gain a seat on the Nelson Provincial Council from 1869 to 1873.{{sfn|Scholefield|1950|p=213}} In 1872 he was elected to Parliament as the member for Nelson, and held the seat until 1875.{{sfn|Wilson|1985|p=213}} In the 1872 election, Luckie had gained 307 votes against [[James Crowe Richmond]]'s 156 and [[Alfred Saunders]]'s 74. Luckie supported the Fox ministry's attempts to establish 'peace and progress', advocating direct taxation and 'economical administration'. The ''[[Lyttelton Times]]'' considered that Luckie would give the government 'fair and reasonable, but ... discriminating and independent support'; but the Wellington ''[[The Evening Post (New Zealand)|Evening Post]]'' considered him a political turncoat: 'Vain, pretentious, utterly selfish, gifted with a shallow cleverness, and possessed of unbounded audacity. ... Formerly a thick and thin partisan of Mr Stafford, he has now transferred his allegiance to Mr Fox'.
== Public servant == In 1878 Luckie moved to Wellington to take up the editorship of ''The Evening Post''. He held the position for six months, before being offered and accepting the position of government insurance commissioner, in return for his support of the government by [[John Ballance]]. Balance offered Luckie the job at an £800 salary, but Premier [[George Grey]] considered £200 sufficient. Parliament ratified the £800 salary. Luckie began to suffer from ill health and in 1889 stepped down from the position.
He continued to write many leading articles for Wellington newspapers, frequented the parliamentary press gallery, and was an honorary member of the New Zealand Institute of Journalists. Luckie retired on 16 December 1908 and died in Wellington on 6 May 1909. He was survived by his wife, four sons, and two daughters.
==Notes== {{Reflist}}
==References== *{{Cite book |last= Scholefield |first= Guy |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1949 |authorlink=Guy Scholefield |edition=3rd |orig-year= First ed. published 1913 |year= 1950 |publisher= Govt. Printer |location= Wellington}} *{{Cite book |last= Wilson |first= Jim | author-link=Jim Wilson (librarian) |title= New Zealand Parliamentary Record, 1840–1984 |edition= 4th |orig-year= First ed. published 1913 |year= 1985 |publisher= V.R. Ward, Govt. Printer |location= Wellington |oclc= 154283103}}
==External links== *[http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/dnzb/alt_essayBody.asp?essayID=2L20 Entry in ''Dictionary of New Zealand Biography''] *[http://www.dnzb.govt.nz/dnzb/Enlarged_Pic.asp?ImageID=625 Photo of David Luckie]{{Dead link|date=July 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
{{s-start}} {{s-par | nz}} {{s-bef | before = [[Martin Lightband]] }} {{s-ttl | title = [[Nelson (New Zealand electorate)|Member of Parliament for Nelson]] | years = 1872–1875 | alongside = [[Oswald Curtis]] }} {{s-aft | after = [[John Sharp (New Zealand politician)|John Sharp]] }} {{end}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Luckie, David M}} [[Category:1827 births]] [[Category:1909 deaths]] [[Category:Members of the New Zealand House of Representatives]] [[Category:New Zealand journalists]] [[Category:New Zealand editors]] [[Category:New Zealand magazine editors]] [[Category:New Zealand public servants]] [[Category:New Zealand MPs for South Island electorates]] [[Category:People from Montrose, Angus]] [[Category:Scottish emigrants to New Zealand]] [[Category:Members of the Nelson Provincial Council]]