James Bryson (J.B.) McLachlan (9 February 1869 - 3 November 1937) was a prominent

Scottish-Canadian Scottish Canadians () are people of Scottish descent or heritage living in Canada. As the third-largest ethnic group in Canada and amongst the first Europeans to settle in the country, Scottish people have made a large impact on Canadian cultur ...

trade unionist, journalist, revolutionary and political activist. McLachlan was a notable leader of the

Canadian Labour Revolt The Canadian Labour Revolt was a loosely connected series of Strike action, strikes, riots, and Labor dispute, labour conflicts that took place across Canada between 1918 and 1925, largely organized by the One Big Union (Canada), One Big Union (O ...

Early life: 1869–1902

The son of Esther Bryson and James McLachlan, James Bryson McLachlan was born in

Ecclefechan Ecclefechan (Scottish Gaelic: ''Eaglais Fheichein'') is a village located in Dumfries and Galloway in the south of Scotland. The village is famous for being the birthplace of Thomas Carlyle. Ecclefechan lies in the valley of the Mein Water, a ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, on 9 February 1869. Growing up in rural Dumfriesshire both his parents worked as farmer-labourers and cotton weavers. Eventually his family would move up north to

Newmains Newmains is a village and former mining community on the eastern edge of Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, Scotland, south-east of Glasgow. Although it is considered by the local authority to have a town centre in its own right. History The story of ...

Lanarkshire Lanarkshire, also called the County of Lanark (; ), is a Counties of Scotland, historic county, Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area and registration county in the Central Lowlands and Southern Uplands of Scotland. The county is no l ...

in which his father would be employed by the Coltness Iron Company to work in the coal mines. Whilst Mclachlan was only four years old when he left Ecclefechan, he would remember the town fondly as he would make frequent visits to see his grandmother and in doing so would take an interest in the works of

Thomas Carlyle Thomas Carlyle (4 December 17955 February 1881) was a Scottish essayist, historian, and philosopher. Known as the "Sage writing, sage of Chelsea, London, Chelsea", his writings strongly influenced the intellectual and artistic culture of the V ...

who had also came from the same village. At the age of 10 Mclachlan left school to go work in the coal mines, and whilst he never received a formal education he continued to read and teach himself about the world.

Move to Canada: 1902–1907

In 1902 McLachlan would take on a job with the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Company and would go onto work at the Princess colliery in

Sydney Mines Sydney Mines (Mi'kmaq language, Mi'kmawi'simk: ''Klmuejuapskwe'katik;'' Scottish Gaelic: ''Mèinnean Shidni'') is a community and former town in Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, Canada. Founded in 1784, and incorporated as a town i ...

Political activity: 1907–1933

Later life and death: 1935–1937

Legacy

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McLachlan, James Bryson (J.B.) 1869 births 1937 deaths Canadian journalists Trade unionists from Nova Scotia Canadian activists British emigrants to Canada