Alexander Hare McLintock

Alexander Hare McLintock (14 April 1903 – 29 May 1968) was a New Zealand teacher, university lecturer, historian and artist. He edited and authored the three-volume Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, published in 1966, his final and perhaps his most remembered work.

Early life Born in Gore, New Zealand, on 14 April 1903, Alexander Hare McLintock was the son of a Scotsman, Robert McLintock, an engineer by trade, and his wife Christina . He attended Caversham School in Dunedin and then Otago Boys' High School. After completing his education, he decided to become a teacher and went to Dunedin Teachers' Training College. He then worked for several years at a primary school while studying history at the University of Otago.

Academia McLintock became well known as a debater while at the University of Otago, representing the university at competitions overseas. He became a proficient speed reader and developed wide interests, including classics and the piano. As well as attending university, he went to the Dunedin School of Art and studied painting and etching. McLintock graduated in 1928 having obtained a master's degree with first class honours. The same year, he married Eva Maude . He then took on what was most likely his best known work, the task of co-ordinating and editing the Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. This was a three-volume series of books with in excess of 1,800 entries produced by over three hundred authors. McLintock also wrote several entries across a range of subjects.

McLintock was involved in other work; paintings and etchings were exhibited in Europe, including at the Royal Academy of Arts. He was also on the committee for New Zealand banknotes when it switched to decimal currency. Afflicted by cancer, McLintock retired in early 1968. He died a few months later, on 29 May 1968, in Dunedin. He was survived by his wife, who he had cared for since she suffered a stroke several years previously, and a daughter.