Malcolm Archibald Macdonald


Malcolm Archibald Macdonald was a Canadian lawyer, politician and Chief Justice of British Columbia.

Biography

Malcolm Archibald Macdonald was born in Ashfield Township on June 20, 1875. He graduated from Osgoode Hall Law School in 1909 and began the practice of law in London, Ontario. He came to Cranbrook, British Columbia where he ran for the Liberal Party in 1909 unsuccessfully. He moved on to Vancouver in 1912 where he was elected in a by-election in 1916. He was appointed Attorney General after being re-elected, but resigned in May 1917 to resume private practice. He was appointed to the British Columbia Court of Appeal in May 1924. He was appointed Chief Justice of British Columbia in May 1940 and died at his home in Vancouver on October 13, 1941. He was buried in Mountain View Cemetery.

Personal life

He married Lena Baird on October 26, 1910. They had one son together. She died on August 11, 1913. He then remarried, to Ida Williams, on January 1, 1916.
His son James Macdonald also served on the Court of Appeal from 1979 and his son Alex Macdonald was Attorney General from 1972 to 1975.