Malcolm Alexander MacLean

Malcolm Alexander MacLean (August 14, 1844 – April 4, 1895) was the first mayor of Vancouver, British Columbia, serving from 1886 to 1887.

Early life MacLean was born in 1844 to Allan and Jane McPhadden married 8 Mar 1820 [GROS Data OPR 551/1 -2]

The voting scandal was quickly forgotten in the wake of the Great Vancouver Fire on 13 June 1886. Following the inferno, MacLean and his council members successfully convinced Governor General Henry Petty-Fitzmaurice, 5th Marquess of Lansdowne to give the military reserve in Burrard Inlet to the city, which became Stanley Park. In December 1886, MacLean was re-elected mayor, having run on a platform to extend the franchise and to restrict the property rights of the city's ethnic Chinese residents.

MacLean was greatly focused on the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway, calling it "the placing of the keystone in the arch of confederation;" after three months of unofficial use, the first official train arrived in Vancouver on 23 May 1887. Later that year, the Vancouver Board of Trade was formed, and MacLean presided over its inaugural meeting. By 1888, MacLean claimed credit for improvements around Vancouver such as the clearing and grading of streets and the construction of vital infrastructure.

Post-mayoralty After his service as mayor, MacLean was appointed police magistrate of the city and continued in that position until 1890. In 1893, he was appointed a special commissioner of immigration in the United States by the Canadian government; while abroad he presented lectures on the opportunities presented in western Canada. In 1895, he was appointed stipendary magistrate for the district of Vancouver.

Personal life Due to his early white hair and personality, MacLean was sometimes known as "Squire MacLean." He was fluent in Scottish Gaelic and organised the St Andrew's and Caledonian Society of Vancouver in 1886. He was an avid promoter of British Columbia and Canada, penning articles praising them for the Scottish American and British periodicals.

Death MacLean died in 1895 at the age of 50. He was buried at Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver, where several other past mayors are also at rest. thumb