Thomas Bassett Macaulay
Encyclopedia
Thomas Bassett Macaulay, also known as T. B. Macaulay, (6 June 1860–1942) was born in Hamilton
, Ontario
, Canada
. He was a noted actuary
of his era; a philanthropist
; and was the founder of the Macaulay Institute
, in 1930. It has been estimated that most of the world's Holstein cattle descend from Macaulay's herd.
born Robertson Macaulay
(1833–1915), who emigrated to Canada in 1854. The family were descendants of the Macaulay family of Lewis, and were patrilineal descendants of the 17th century Uig
folk-hero Donald Cam Macaulay
. Robertson Macaulay married Barbara Marie Reid, and moved his family to Montreal
, Quebec
, Canada when he was offered a position there with Sun Life Assurance Company. He joined as a secretary
in 1874; by 1889 he had worked his way up to president
.
and joined Sun Life at the age of 17. For the next forty years he worked for the company as actuary
(aged 20), secretary, managing director (46), president (55). He served as president for 20 years, before his retirement as chairman.
Macaulay was a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries
of Great Britain
. He was one of four Canadian charter members of the Actuarial Society of America
. In 1899, he became the first Canadian to be president of the society; as well as its youngest president, at age 39. When he died in 1942, Macaulay was also the longest surviving charter member. Macaulay represented the actuaries of both Canada and the United States
at the International Congresses, held in Paris
and Berlin
, in the years 1900 and 1906. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society
, President of the Canadian Life Assurance Officers' Association, and President of the Canadian West Indian League, and became an honorary president of the Navy League of Canada
. In 1917, he was the Chairman of the National Committee on Food Resources, he also was the governor of the Montreal General Hospital
, as well as the Fraser Institute Public Library.
Macaulay created a fund of £10,000 to assist the seafaring people of his father's home-town, Fraserburgh
, Aberdeenshire
, Scotland. He also gave £10,000 to research into animal breeding, at Edinburgh University. He also gave money to the public library on the Hebridean island of Lewis
, erected a wing in the island's hospital, and established the Macaulay Experimental Farm. In 1930, he funded the purchase of 50 acres (202,343 m²), to establish the Macaulay Institute for Soil Research. Macaulay received an honorary degree
from Aberdeen University, and McGill University
, and the Lewis town of Stornoway
made him the first Freeman of the burgh in 300 years.
It has been stated that most of the world's pure-bred Holstein cattle descend from Macaulays herd, raised on his farm in Quebec
. Macaulay and farm manager, Joe Chandler, bought a bull named "Johanna Rag Apple Pabst" (also known as "Old Joe"), for $15,000. The bull sired 51 sons and 44 daughters; after Macaulay's death in 1942, the herd was dispersed and went on to produce most of the pure-breds in the world.
, USA. Bragg was the niece of US Army General
Bragg
. The couple had one son, followed by three daughters, and finally another son. Macaulay had two later marriages. In 1912, he married Margaret Allan of London
, England
; in 1920, he married Margaret Palin of Gloucester
, England. He did not have any children in his later two marriages.
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He was a noted actuary
Actuary
An actuary is a business professional who deals with the financial impact of risk and uncertainty. Actuaries provide expert assessments of financial security systems, with a focus on their complexity, their mathematics, and their mechanisms ....
of his era; a philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
; and was the founder of the Macaulay Institute
Macaulay Institute
The Macaulay Land Use Research Institute is a research institute based at Aberdeen in Scotland...
, in 1930. It has been estimated that most of the world's Holstein cattle descend from Macaulay's herd.
Background
Thomas Bassett Macaulay was the son of the ScottishScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
born Robertson Macaulay
Robertson Macaulay
Robertson Macaulay was a Canadian insurance company executive.Born in Fraserburgh, Scotland, the son of Kenneth Macaulay and Margaret Noble, Macaulay emigrated to Canada in 1854 settling in Quebec...
(1833–1915), who emigrated to Canada in 1854. The family were descendants of the Macaulay family of Lewis, and were patrilineal descendants of the 17th century Uig
Uig, Lewis
Uig , also known as Sgìr' Ùig, is a civil parish and community on the western coast of the island of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, Scotland. It consists of scattered settlements around the bay of Camas Uig and the Bhaltos peninsula...
folk-hero Donald Cam Macaulay
Stac Dhòmhnaill Chaim
Stac Dhòmnuill Chaim, or Stac Dhòmhnaill Chaim, is a fortified promontory located near Mangursta on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The stack and its surrounding site is listed and protected as a scheduled monument, one of about 8,000 sites currently protected in Scotland. The...
. Robertson Macaulay married Barbara Marie Reid, and moved his family to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, Canada when he was offered a position there with Sun Life Assurance Company. He joined as a secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
in 1874; by 1889 he had worked his way up to president
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
.
Life
Thomas Bassett Macaulay graduated high schoolHigh school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and joined Sun Life at the age of 17. For the next forty years he worked for the company as actuary
Actuary
An actuary is a business professional who deals with the financial impact of risk and uncertainty. Actuaries provide expert assessments of financial security systems, with a focus on their complexity, their mathematics, and their mechanisms ....
(aged 20), secretary, managing director (46), president (55). He served as president for 20 years, before his retirement as chairman.
Macaulay was a Fellow of the Institute of Actuaries
Institute of Actuaries
The Institute of Actuaries was one of the two professional which represented actuaries in the United Kingdom . The Institute was based in England, while the other body, the Faculty of Actuaries, was based in Scotland...
of Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. He was one of four Canadian charter members of the Actuarial Society of America
Society of Actuaries
The Society of Actuaries is a professional organization for actuaries based in North America. It was founded in 1949 as the merger of two major actuarial organizations in the United States: the Actuarial Society of America and the American Institute of Actuaries...
. In 1899, he became the first Canadian to be president of the society; as well as its youngest president, at age 39. When he died in 1942, Macaulay was also the longest surviving charter member. Macaulay represented the actuaries of both Canada and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
at the International Congresses, held in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, in the years 1900 and 1906. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society
Royal Statistical Society
The Royal Statistical Society is a learned society for statistics and a professional body for statisticians in the UK.-History:It was founded in 1834 as the Statistical Society of London , though a perhaps unrelated London Statistical Society was in existence at least as early as 1824...
, President of the Canadian Life Assurance Officers' Association, and President of the Canadian West Indian League, and became an honorary president of the Navy League of Canada
Navy League of Canada
The Navy League of Canada, is a Non-For-Profit organization founded in 1895 and incorporated in 1918. Originally formed to promote maritime issues to Canadians, the Navy League is the non-governmental partner of the Department of National Defence in delivery of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets program...
. In 1917, he was the Chairman of the National Committee on Food Resources, he also was the governor of the Montreal General Hospital
Montreal General Hospital
The Montreal General Hospital is a hospital in Montreal, Canada, established on May 1, 1819 and an early teaching hospital. First located on the corner of Craig and St-Lawrence Streets with only 24 beds, it moved in 1822 to a new 72-bed building on Dorchester Street. It is currently situated on...
, as well as the Fraser Institute Public Library.
Macaulay created a fund of £10,000 to assist the seafaring people of his father's home-town, Fraserburgh
Fraserburgh
Fraserburgh is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland with a population recorded in the 2001 Census at 12,454 and estimated at 12,630 in 2006. It lies at the extreme northeast corner of Aberdeenshire, around north of Aberdeen, and north of Peterhead...
, Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire
Aberdeenshire is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland and a lieutenancy area.The present day Aberdeenshire council area does not include the City of Aberdeen, now a separate council area, from which its name derives. Together, the modern council area and the city formed historic...
, Scotland. He also gave £10,000 to research into animal breeding, at Edinburgh University. He also gave money to the public library on the Hebridean island of Lewis
Lewis
Lewis is the northern part of Lewis and Harris, the largest island of the Western Isles or Outer Hebrides of Scotland. The total area of Lewis is ....
, erected a wing in the island's hospital, and established the Macaulay Experimental Farm. In 1930, he funded the purchase of 50 acres (202,343 m²), to establish the Macaulay Institute for Soil Research. Macaulay received an honorary degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
from Aberdeen University, and McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, and the Lewis town of Stornoway
Stornoway
Stornoway is a burgh on the Isle of Lewis, in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland.The town's population is around 9,000, making it the largest settlement in the Western Isles and the third largest town in the Scottish Highlands after Inverness and Fort William...
made him the first Freeman of the burgh in 300 years.
Holstein herd
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
. Macaulay and farm manager, Joe Chandler, bought a bull named "Johanna Rag Apple Pabst" (also known as "Old Joe"), for $15,000. The bull sired 51 sons and 44 daughters; after Macaulay's death in 1942, the herd was dispersed and went on to produce most of the pure-breds in the world.
Family
In 1881, Macaulay married Henrietta M. L. Bragg, from New Orleans, LouisianaLouisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, USA. Bragg was the niece of US Army General
Army General
For the army rank of General, as opposed to the specific rank of Army General, see General officer.Army General is a title used in many countries to denote the rank of General nominally commanding an army in the field...
Bragg
Braxton Bragg
Braxton Bragg was a career United States Army officer, and then a general in the Confederate States Army—a principal commander in the Western Theater of the American Civil War and later the military adviser to Confederate President Jefferson Davis.Bragg, a native of North Carolina, was...
. The couple had one son, followed by three daughters, and finally another son. Macaulay had two later marriages. In 1912, he married Margaret Allan of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
; in 1920, he married Margaret Palin of Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
, England. He did not have any children in his later two marriages.