Roderick George MacBeth

Roderick George MacBeth (21 December 1858 – 28 February 1934), was a Canadian author, Presbyterian Minister, lecturer, and historian.

Life Roderick George MacBeth (conversely spelt McBeth) was born on 21 December 1858 in Kildonan, Red River Settlement to Mary McLean and Robert McBeth, a Justice of the peace and member of the Council of Assiniboia. MacBeth's father and grandfather, Alexander McBeth - one of the 23 survivors of the Black Hole of Calcutta -, moved to Kildonan from Sutherlandshire, Scotland, in 1815 with a party of Selkirk Settlers.

Early life and education MacBeth was educated at local parish schools and later public schools in the Red River Settlement. In 1878, he began his studies at Manitoba College, then part of the University of Manitoba. In 1882, MacBeth obtained his Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Laws, followed by a Master of Arts in 1885. In 1885, while studying at Manitoba College, he enlisted in the Canadian Militia and served with the Winnipeg Light Infantry under General Thomas Bland Strange during the North-West Rebellion. He marched across the prairies, going as far west as Calgary and Fort Edmonton. For his service, he was awarded a medal. Upon graduation, MacBeth opted to pursue a career in law and he was called to the Manitoba bar in 1886. However, this career was short lived and he quickly abandoned the field of law to pursue a ministerial education, first at Manitoba College and then Princeton Theological Seminary. He was ordained as a minister by the Presbyterian Church in 1891.

Church career Following his ordination, MacBeth served several congregations in Manitoba, including in Winnipeg at the Augustine Presbyterian Church where he served as Second Minister from 1891 to 1900. In 1900, he relocated to Vancouver to serve as First Minister of First Church. Following a short four-year stint in Vancouver, MacBeth moved to Paris, Ontario where he ministered from 1904 to 1914. He returned to Vancouver to accept a call from St Paul's Presbyterian Church, where he stayed until his retirement in 1932. These were followed by The Burning Bush and Canada in 1925.

Literary works MacBeth's first foray into writing was in 1897 when he published The Selkirk Settlers in Real Life, a semi-autobiographical retelling of the history of the Selkirk Colony and his family's history in the Canadian west. This was followed by The Making of the Canadian West: Being the Reminiscences of an Eye-witness in 1898. The Making of the Canadian West was an autobiographical account of MacBeth's life growing up in the prairie west and covered a breadth of topics including the fur trade, the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway, and the settlement of the prairies. It and The Selkirk Settlers in Real Life were well received. These were followed by The Romance of Western Canada (1918), Policing the Plains (1921) and The Romance of the Canadian Pacific Railway (1924).

In addition to his standalone published works, MacBeth was an active member of the Manitoba Historical Society and occasionally wrote articles for the society's journal, MHS Transactions, mainly on subjects pertaining to farming and the Selkirk Colony. He was also a frequent author of magazine and newspaper articles, including letter series detailing his travels throughout Canada. Several of his letter series "seemed to be of interest to so many" that they were published in book form, including Recent Canadian West Letters: Historical and Descriptive (1912) and Peace River Letters (1915).

MacBeth received wide praise from both the Presbyterian community and Canadian public for his literary works. Indeed, Policing the Plains proved so popular that in 1924, Arthur D. Kean purchased the rights for turning the book into a historical film. In 1927, the film, titled Policing the Plains, was released. Although lauded for its authenticity, Policing the Plains received mixed reviews and was a commercial failure.

Death In June of 1933, MacBeth suffered a severe stroke, significantly impacting his health. He died less than a year later on 28 February 1934 in Vancouver. He is buried in Kildonan Presbyterian Cemetery in Winnipeg. Tributes following his passing were posted in newspapers across Canada.

Recognition and awards In 1929, MacBeth was awarded an honorary LLD degree from the University of Manitoba for his literary works. In 1930, he was chosen as a speaker for Manitoba's Diamond jubilee.