Lieutenant-Colonel James Farquharson Macleod (c. September 25, 1836 – September 5, 1894), born in Drynoch,

Isle of Skye The Isle of Skye, or simply Skye, is the largest and northernmost of the major islands in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate from a mountainous hub dominated by the Cuillin, the rocky slopes of which provide some of ...

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 ...

, was a militia officer, lawyer,

North-West Mounted Police The North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) was a Canadian paramilitary police force, established in 1873, to maintain order in the new Canadian North-West Territories (NWT) following the 1870 transfer of Rupert's Land and North-Western Territory to ...

officer, magistrate, judge, and politician in

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. He served as the second full Commissioner of the North-West Mounted Police, from July 22, 1876, to October 31, 1880. Fort Macleod and

Macleod Trail Macleod Trail is a major road in Calgary, Alberta. It is a six- to eight-lane principal arterial road extending from downtown Calgary to the south of the city, where it merges into Alberta Highway 2, Highway 2. South of Anderson Road, Macleod Tr ...

, a major

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thoroughfare, are named after him. In 1887, Macleod was appointed to the Supreme Court of the Northwest Territories, which then included what is now known as Alberta and

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. He held this position until his death in 1894. He is buried in Union Cemetery in Calgary.

Education

Macleod immigrated with his family from Scotland in 1845, when his father purchased a farm at

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. Macleod attended

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and then Queen's University in

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. He graduated in 1854 from Queen's with a B.A. in classics and philosophy and then enrolled in 1856 at

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to attend law school. He graduated with an LL.B. in 1860 and articled with the law office of Alexander Campbell. It was also sometime around this time that he joined the

Orange Order The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants. It also has lodges in England, Grand Orange Lodge of ...

, L.O.L. 141, as was common of Canadian Ulster-Scots at the time. Before law school during the summer of 1856, against the wishes of his parents, Macleod joined the Volunteer Militia Field Battery of Kingston as a lieutenant and his enthusiasm was such that his brother-in-law William Augustus Baldwin persuaded Governor General Sir Edmund Walker Head to offer Macleod a commission in the British army. His father insisted that the offer be refused.

Military service

From 1860 to 1870 Macleod practiced law in

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, but during that time he retained an interest in the militia. He transferred in 1862 to the Bowmanville Volunteer Militia Rifle Company and was promoted to captain in 1863 and major in 1866 when the Bowmanville company became part of the newly formed 45th West Durham Battalion of Infantry. Active service during the Trent Affair in 1861 and the Fenian Raids of 1866 confirmed his interest in the military. In 1870, he obtained a commission as brigade major with the Wolseley expedition which was sent to quell the

Red River Rebellion The Red River Rebellion (), also known as the Red River Resistance, Red River uprising, or First Riel Rebellion, was the sequence of events that led up to the 1869 establishment of a provisional government by Métis leader Louis Riel and his f ...

. After returning from the Red River in 1871, Macleod was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and became the commanding officer of the 45th West Durham Battalion.

North-West Mounted Police

Macleod served as Commissioner of the NWMP from 1876 to 1880.

Northwest Territories Legislature

Macleod was appointed the Legislative Assembly of Northwest Territories on October 7, 1876, to serve as one of the first three members on the permanent Northwest Territories Council. He served as a regular appointed member until 1881, when he was appointed as a Stipendiary Magistrate. He served as such until the 1st Northwest Territories general election. He was reappointed to the Assembly as one of three Legal Advisors, a non-voting at-large position created to help the assembly make the transition. The position was abolished when the legislature was dissolved in 1891, ending 15 years of service with the legislature.

Personal life

On July 28, 1876, Macleod married pioneer Mary Isabella Drever, who he first met in Spring 1871. They settled in Fort Macleod and had four daughters and one son.

References

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Mounted Policemen of Calgary's Cemeteries: James Macleod
Retrieved: March 16, 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Macleod, James 1836 births 1894 deaths People from the Isle of Skye People of the Fenian raids Royal Canadian Mounted Police commissioners 19th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories Upper Canada College alumni Judges in the Northwest Territories Scottish emigrants to Canada Canadian Militia officers Canadian magistrates Western (genre) heroes and heroines