In Palmerston North he was a dentist, and a local body politician.

[2][3] He was on the Board of Governors for Palmerston North Boys' High School, and in 1954 led the conservative opposition to the appointment of Guthrie Wilson to head either Palmerston North Boys' High School or Freyberg High School because of the frank and sexually explicit language in his novels.

[4] Tennent represented the Palmerston North electorate from 1949 to 1954, when he was defeated by Philip Skoglund.

[5] In 1953, Tennent was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal.

[6] He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, for services in politics and education, in the 1973 New Year Honours.