Duncan Kenneth MacTavish
Encyclopedia
Duncan Kenneth MacTavish (August 3, 1899 - November 15, 1963) was a Canadian Senator.
MacTavish was a millionaire and one of Canada's leading corporate lawyers. He was a chief Liberal Party strategist and fundraiser and was an advisor to three Liberal Prime Ministers - William Lyon Mackenzie King
, Louis St. Laurent
and Lester Pearson and had also known Sir Wilfrid Laurier
, a friend of his father, as a youth.
His father was Judge Duncan Byron MacTavish. He was educated in Ottawa and at Queen's University
and Osgoode Hall Law School
before being admitted to the bar in 1926. In 1940, he married Janet Southam, daughter of Ottawa Citizen
publisher Harry Stevenson Southam
and a member of the Southam family.
He began advising Mackenzie King during election campaigns in the 1920s and was named as executor
of the late prime minister's estate.
He was chairman of the National Liberal Association
from 1952 to 1958 and had been a top Liberal campaign strategist for nearly 40 years at the time of his death. He was killed in an automobile accident on the Queen Elizabeth Way
when returning home from the opening of the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto.
MacTavish was appointed to the Canadian Senate
in June 1963 by Prime Minister Pearson and served in the Senate for five months until the fatal accident.
He was a senior partner in the Ottawa firm of Gowling, MacTavish, Osborne and Henderson and was an officer of 34 corporations as well as a member of the Board of Trustees of Queen's University
.
During World War II he served as deputy Judge Advocate General
of the Royal Canadian Navy
with the rank of captain.
In the early 1950s he served as chairman of the Federal District Commission (the precursor of the National Capital Commission
) which was responsible for creating what became the National Capital Region
.
MacTavish was a millionaire and one of Canada's leading corporate lawyers. He was a chief Liberal Party strategist and fundraiser and was an advisor to three Liberal Prime Ministers - William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King
William Lyon Mackenzie King, PC, OM, CMG was the dominant Canadian political leader from the 1920s through the 1940s. He served as the tenth Prime Minister of Canada from December 29, 1921 to June 28, 1926; from September 25, 1926 to August 7, 1930; and from October 23, 1935 to November 15, 1948...
, Louis St. Laurent
Louis St. Laurent
Louis Stephen St. Laurent, PC, CC, QC , was the 12th Prime Minister of Canada from 15 November 1948, to 21 June 1957....
and Lester Pearson and had also known Sir Wilfrid Laurier
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Wilfrid Laurier, GCMG, PC, KC, baptized Henri-Charles-Wilfrid Laurier was the seventh Prime Minister of Canada from 11 July 1896 to 6 October 1911....
, a friend of his father, as a youth.
His father was Judge Duncan Byron MacTavish. He was educated in Ottawa and at Queen's University
Queen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
and Osgoode Hall Law School
Osgoode Hall Law School
Osgoode Hall Law School is a Canadian law school, located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada and affiliated with York University. Named after the first Chief Justice of Ontario, William Osgoode, the law school was established by The Law Society of Upper Canada in 1889 and was the only accredited law...
before being admitted to the bar in 1926. In 1940, he married Janet Southam, daughter of Ottawa Citizen
Ottawa Citizen
The Ottawa Citizen is an English-language daily newspaper owned by Postmedia Network in Ottawa, Canada. According to the Canadian Newspaper Association, the paper had a 2008 weekly circulation of 900,197.- History :...
publisher Harry Stevenson Southam
Harry Stevenson Southam
Harry Stevenson Southam was a Canadian newspaper publisher of The Ottawa Citizen and Chancellor of Carleton College from 1952 to 1954....
and a member of the Southam family.
He began advising Mackenzie King during election campaigns in the 1920s and was named as executor
Executor
An executor, in the broadest sense, is one who carries something out .-Overview:...
of the late prime minister's estate.
He was chairman of the National Liberal Association
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
from 1952 to 1958 and had been a top Liberal campaign strategist for nearly 40 years at the time of his death. He was killed in an automobile accident on the Queen Elizabeth Way
Queen Elizabeth Way
The Queen Elizabeth Way, commonly abbreviated as the QEW, is a 400-Series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The freeway links Buffalo, New York and the Niagara Peninsula with Toronto. It begins at the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie and travels around the western shore of Lake Ontario, ending...
when returning home from the opening of the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto.
MacTavish was appointed to the Canadian Senate
Canadian Senate
The Senate of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the House of Commons, and the monarch . The Senate consists of 105 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister...
in June 1963 by Prime Minister Pearson and served in the Senate for five months until the fatal accident.
He was a senior partner in the Ottawa firm of Gowling, MacTavish, Osborne and Henderson and was an officer of 34 corporations as well as a member of the Board of Trustees of Queen's University
Queen's University
Queen's University, , is a public research university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded on 16 October 1841, the university pre-dates the founding of Canada by 26 years. Queen's holds more more than of land throughout Ontario as well as Herstmonceux Castle in East Sussex, England...
.
During World War II he served as deputy Judge Advocate General
Judge Advocate General's Corps
Judge Advocate General's Corps, also known as JAG or JAG Corps, refers to the legal branch or specialty of the U.S. Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, and Navy. Officers serving in the JAG Corps are typically called Judge Advocates. The Marine Corps and Coast Guard do not maintain separate JAG Corps...
of the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
with the rank of captain.
In the early 1950s he served as chairman of the Federal District Commission (the precursor of the National Capital Commission
National Capital Commission
The National Capital Commission , is a Canadian Crown corporation that administers the federally owned lands and buildings in Canada's National Capital Region, including Ottawa, Ontario and Gatineau, Quebec.The NCC was created in 1959, replacing the Federal District Commission , which had been...
) which was responsible for creating what became the National Capital Region
National Capital Region (Canada)
The National Capital Region, also referred to as Canada's Capital Region, is an official federal designation for the Canadian capital of Ottawa, Ontario, the neighbouring city of Gatineau, Quebec, and surrounding urban and rural communities....
.