Morrin College, the first anglophone institute of higher education in

Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

flourished between the years 1862 and 1902.

History

It was founded following an important bequest from Joseph Morrin, former city mayor and prominent doctor. The college initially occupied rooms rented from the Masonic Temple from 1862 to 1868. It then moved to its permanent headquarters in

François Baillairgé François Baillairgé (21 January 1759 – 15 September 1830) was an architect who also pursued painting and wood sculpture. Life The son of Jean Baillairgé, François began an apprenticeship in his father's shop at the age of 14. There he st ...

's 1808 city gaol at 44, Chaussée des Écossais (then Rue Saint-Stanislas) after architect Joseph-Ferdinand Peachy remodelled the building. Although officially open to everyone, Morrin College was very much a

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

institution. It attracted some

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

of other denominations, but few

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. The school’s founder and Principal for 31 of its 40 years was the Reverend John Cook, Minister of Saint-Andrew’s Church across the street.

Faculties

A Faculty of Divinity within the school formed a total of 24 Presbyterian ministers. In addition to this, a Faculty of Arts and a short-lived Faculty of Law had a wider appeal. Morrin College was affiliated in Arts with

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

from 1863 to 1900.Donovan, Patrick. "Morrin College", Part II of Blair, Louisa, Donovan, Patrick and Fyson, Donald, Iron Bars and Bookshelves: A History of the Morrin Centre. Montreal: Baraka Books, 2016.

Legacy

Morrin College struggled from the very beginning. In addition to persistent financial problems, the Anglo-Protestant population of Quebec City was too small to justify an institution of its kind. It never had more than 9 paid professors and 28 full-time students. The institution discontinued regular classes around 1902. It continued to administer the college building and adjacent properties until 1988. The Board of Governors of Morrin College still meets, and continues to administer a fund for the purposes of education. Past financial contributions have ensured the survival of the

Literary and Historical Society of Quebec The Literary and Historical Society of Quebec (LHSQ) was the first historical society A historical society is non-profit organization dedicated to collecting, preserving, interpreting, and promoting the history of a particular place, group of p ...

at a precarious time in the early 20th century. The Society now manages the former Morrin College building, now known as the

Morrin Centre The Morrin Centre is a cultural centre in the Old Quebec neighbourhood of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. It is designed to educate the public about the historic contribution and present-day culture of local Anglo-Quebecer, English-speakers. The ce ...

Notable alumni

A total of 46 students graduated with a McGill BA. The school was also a local pioneer in terms of women's education, allowing female students to study for a BA in co-ed classes from 1885. A few people who later went on to illustrious careers taught at the college, namely Edwin Hatch, James Douglas Jr., and

George Mercer Dawson George Mercer Dawson (August 1, 1849 – March 2, 1901) was a Canadian geologist and surveyor. He performed many early explorations in western North America and compiled numerous records of the native peoples. Biography He was born in ...

. * Salem Bland (1877), Methodist theologian and

Social Gospel The Social Gospel is a social movement within Protestantism that aims to apply Christian ethics to social problems, especially issues of social justice such as economic inequality, poverty, alcoholism, crime, racial tensions, slums, unclean en ...

leader * Albert Joseph Brown (1883), Canadian Senator *Robert Cassels (1866), first registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada *Ethel Margaret Fraser (1894), Physician, Head of the American Women's Hospitals at La-Ferté-Milon, France during WWI *Euphemia MacLeod (1889), Poet, First woman M.A. Philosophy in Quebec *Henry James Morgan (?), Biographer * George C. Pidgeon (1892), Minister, first moderator of the United Church of Canada *John T. Ross (1883), Businessman, Director of the Quebec Bank *James Hossack Woods (?), Editor of the Calgary Herald

References

External links