Frank Wilson Terrace

Frank Wilson Terrace was formed in 1970 by developers who were descendants of the Mayor of New Plymouth from 1921 to 1927, Frank Edwin Wilson.

Frank seems to have been a pretty decent chap and his obituary in the Taranaki Herald on 15 November 1927 is littered with effusive accolades such as... "He was broad-minded almost to a fault, and he was full of human sympathy and a desire to do a good turn whenever and wherever possible." Certainly he was a public-minded citizen and seemed to be prominent in New Plymouth society of the time.

Born in Dunedin in 1868, he was educated at Dunedin Boys' High School and later studied law under Justice Edwards in Wellington then spent time in the offices of Chapman Tripp. In March 1893, he came to Taranaki first spending eighteen months in Stratford and then five years as managing clerk for a Mr. T. S. Weston in New Plymouth. He was admitted to the bar in July 1899 and at the beginning of 1903 became a partner in the law firm Roy and Wilson.

Public life beckoned and he became a borough councillor serving from 1904 to 1907, 1909 to 1911 and 1915 to 1917, before his stint as mayor from 1921 until his death in 1927. During this time he also served on the council of the Law Society, held office in the Ngāmotu Lodge and was made a vestryman of St Mary's church in 1909.

Completing the hallmarks of a top citizen, he married Winifred Thompson in October 1905 and we are aware of at least one son born in 1922, a miniature silver cradle was given to Frank by the New Plymouth Borough Council to mark the birth. This cradle was subsequently gifted to the Puke Arki Heritage Collection.

His untimely death on 14 November 1927, aged 59, saw him buried in Te Hēnui cemetery.

This story was originally published in the Taranaki Daily News.