Sir Thomas Harcourt Clarke Caughey was a great nephew of Marianne Caughey, founder of the iconic Auckland department of store Smith and Caughey. Caughey (known as ‘Pat’) was a capped All Black in the amateur game era when relative few test matches were played and caps were therefore comparatively rare.
He joined the family firm in 1930 and rose to become Managing Director. Caughey was active in public health both as a member of the Auckland Hospital Board and through his support for medical research. Information about Caughey’s business career and philanthropic contribution is sparse compared to the public record from his sporting career but he appears to have been a steady hand during a period where the one stop shop predominated and department stores flourished.
The later advent of mall shopping with clusters of specialist stores grouped under one roof presented a major challenge to the department store concept. Smith and Caughey was one of the few that survived this change in retail shopping habits.
Sir Thomas Harcourt Clarke Caughey
Died 1993
Block Y Row 19 Plot 052
