Archibald John McPherson

(1870.01.01 - 1949.07.26)
OLS, DLS, SLS
Commission #015
(1910.05.09)

Born in Galt, Ontario on February 24, 1870 to John A. & Florence McPherson. He received his early education at the Galt Collegiate Institute. He attend School of Practical Science at the University of Toronto 1891-1894 where he graduated with B.A.Sc. Honours. He was quite active in the Engineering Society at the university, at one point being Vice-President.

After graduating, he became Galt town engineer and later superintendent of waterworks until 1899.

From 1899-1901 he entered into a partnership of consulting engineers with Willis Chipman, Brockville, Ont.

McPherson then “entered service of the Dominion Government in Dept. of the Interior. 1901, and was sent to the Yukon to look after government surveying work and Territorial public works.” All of his DLS work was done in the Yukon between 1901 and 1904. “For some time he occupied the position of construction engineer on the Klondike Mines Railway.”

He came to Regina in 1905 as Assistant Chief Engineer of the Provincial Public Works Department and became Superintendent of Highways in 1908, Regina’s first City Commissioner in 1910 and Chairman of the Board of Highways Commissioners in 1912. He is listed in Western Canada’s Who’s Who (1911) Volume 1.

He registered only a handful of plans in Saskatchewan between 1908 and 1911. He was chairman of the Board of Examiners for the SLSA in 1910.

The Engineering Society of Regina. “The idea of organizing the engineering profession at Regina was first mooted some three years ago, when Mr. A. J. McPherson, now Chairman of the Board of Highway Commissioners of Saskatchewan, collected information concerning what had been accomplished in other cities with a view to submitting a scheme for consideration at Regina. Overtaken by a stress of work however, Mr. McPherson was obliged to lay aside the work of organization and nothing further was done until rather more than a year ago, when the matter appealed strongly to Mr. R. O. Wynne-Roberts, who at once interested himself and others in the project. It was as first thought that a local branch of the Canadian Society of Civil Engineers would fulfill the requirements, but it was found upon examination that the local members were so very limited in numbers that there would be little chance of a successful organization. Mr. Wynne-Roberts discussed the matter with Messrs. McPherson, L. A. Thornton, H. S. Carpenter and a few others, and it was finally decided to convene a general meeting. This meeting was held on March 19, 1912, and the enthusiasm shown by the fifty who attended it was sufficient evidence of the opening that afforded. The matter was referred to a committee under the chairmanship of Mr. A. J. McPherson. The members of this committee were Mr. L. A. Thornton, then city engineer, who was appointed to represent the municipal engineers; Mr. O. W. Smith, representing the contacting engineers; Mr. H. S. Carpenter-the Government engineers; Mr. W. Bull-the electrical engineers; Mr. W. R. Riley-land surveyors; Mr. R. N. Blackburn-the mechanical engineers; Mr. R. O. Wynne-Roberts-the consulting engineers; Mr. E. L. Wenger-the heating and ventilating engineers; and Mr. W. T. Daniel-the railway engineers. Mr. J. A. Gibson was appointed honorary secretary of this committee. These, with slight modifications, were adopted. The organization of the society now being practically completed, the following officers were elected: president, Mr. A. J. McPherson, Chairman of the Provincial Highway Commissioners; 1st vice-president, Mr. H. S. Carpenter, Deputy Minister of Public Works; 2nd vice-president, Mr. L. A. Thornton, City Engineer, now City Works Commissioner; corresponding secretary, Mr. R. O. Wynne-Roberts, M. Inst. C. E.; secretary Mr. J. A. Gibson; treasurer, Mr. R. N. Blackburn, Wh. Sc.; librarian, Mr. E. L. Wenger. The formal inauguration of the society was completed at a banquet held in the King’s Hotel on Thursday, May 2, 1912. [H. S. Carpenter, SLS (011) & W. R. Reilly, SLS (007)]

On June 30, 1912, McPherson’s house suffered considerable damage due to the famous ‘Regina Cyclone’.

He resigned this position in 1914, probably due to the Wetmore Royal Commission on the Saskatoon University Bridge construction issues.

McPherson enlisted for active duty and served in WW1 (1916 – 1919) with the Canadian Engineers and was discharged as a Major.

After returning from the war, he worked in Regina as a consulting engineer until 1920 when he was appointed chairman of the Saskatchewan Water Supply Commission. He appears to have left the province by about 1924. Among his business ventures, McPherson was a director of the Saskatchewan Investment and Agency Co., Western Development Syndicates, Western Loan and Investment Co. and Wascana Realty Co. In Regina, 1912 – 1916, he resided at 2320 Lorne Street which was formally recognized as a Historic Place on October 20, 1997. (This house was constructed for him and his family)

The research shows that McPherson must have been travelling back and forth between Regina and British Columbia in the early 1920’s. He was accepted into the BC Engineering Association in 1921 yet he is still involved in engineering projects in Saskatchewan.

The following is speculation: In 1923 there is an A.J. McPherson involved in a mining report in BC. There is also an A.J. McPherson mentioned in the Osoyoos Museum with respect to a supply company and the golf course. It is possible this is Archibald but it is not definite.

We know he kept a residence in Vancouver up until his death in 1949. He is listed as a Civil Engineer for most of the years from 1926 to 1945 and once for the Canadian Government. After 1945 it shows him as being retired.

McPherson married Jennie Cowan Menzies on November 16, 1897. They had three children: Florence Isabel; John Wallace and Gordon Menzie. While McPherson served overseas, Jennie and the three children moved to Vancouver and it appears as if, around 1925, they moved to the United States leaving McPherson in Vancouver. Archibald John McPherson died in Vancouver on July 26, 1949.

Prepared by M. L. J. Waschuk, SLS, P. Surv., 2018

Information gathered from Library and Archives Canada; Historic Places (historicplaces.ca); NRCan; Saskatchewan Archives; “Statement of Heritage Significance-University (25th Street) Bridge Saskatoon” by Ross Herrington M.A., M. Sc., P. Eng. Architectural Historian March 1, 2008.; Al Jensen, Controller of Surveys-Sask.; University of Toronto publications; Who’s Who in Western Canada; Vancouver Daily; Excavating Engineer; Engineering News & American Railway Journal; The Contract Record and Engineering Review; Municipal Engineering; Vancouver Public Library; Clan McPherson-Ewen McPherson;