Roderick Charles MacDonald (November 1885 – September 18, 1978) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

-born merchant and political figure in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. After being an unsuccessful candidate in the Burnaby riding in the 1937 provincial election, he represented Dewdney in the

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia () is the deliberative assembly of the Legislature of British Columbia, in the province of British Columbia, Canada. The other component of the Legislature is the lieutenant governor of British Columbi ...

from 1941 to 1952 as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

. He was born in

North Uist North Uist (; ) is an island and community in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. Etymology In Donald Munro's ''A Description of the Western Isles of Scotland Called Hybrides'' of 1549, North Uist, Benbecula and South Uist are described as one isla ...

in November 1885, the son of Malcolm MacDonald and Mary A. MacAulay, and was educated there. He came to Canada in 1907, settling in

Coquitlam Coquitlam ( ) is a city in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Mainly suburban, Coquitlam is the List of cities in British Columbia, sixth-largest city in the province, with an estimated population of 174,248 in 2024, and one of th ...

. In 1915, MacDonald married D. E. Wiltshire. He was a member of the Coquitlam council, also serving as reeve from 1924 to 1941 and as president of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities. Between April 1946 and January 1952, MacDonald served in the provincial cabinet as Minister of Mines and Minister of Municipal Affairs. He was defeated when he ran for reelection in 1952. MacDonald died on September 18, 1978 in

New Westminster New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the cap ...

at the age of 92. R. C. MacDonald Elementary School in Coquitlam was named in his honour.

References

1885 births 1978 deaths British Columbia Conservative Party MLAs British emigrants to Canada 20th-century members of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia {{Conservative-BritishColumbia-MLA-stub