James Duncan McGregor (August 29, 1860 – March 15, 1935) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

agricultural pioneer and officeholder. He served as the

11th 11 (eleven) is the natural number following 10 and preceding 12. It is the first repdigit. In English, it is the smallest positive integer whose name has three syllables. Name "Eleven" derives from the Old English ', which is first atteste ...

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba between 1929 and 1934. McGregor was born in

Amherstburg Amherstburg is a town near the mouth of the Detroit River in Essex County, Ontario, Canada. In 1796, Fort Malden was established here, stimulating growth in the settlement. The fort has been designated as a National Historic Site. The town is ...

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

(now

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

), and was educated at public schools in

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

but did not attend college. He moved to Manitoba in 1877, and worked in his father's cattle business in

Brandon Brandon may refer to: Names and people *Brandon (given name), a male given name *Brandon (surname), a surname with several different origins Places Australia *Brandon, a farm and 19th century homestead in Seaham, New South Wales *Brandon, Q ...

. McGregor was one of several pioneers to the

Yukon Yukon (; ; formerly called Yukon Territory and also referred to as the Yukon) is the smallest and westernmost of Canada's three territories. It also is the second-least populated province or territory in Canada, with a population of 43,964 as ...

following the Klondike Gold Rush of 1896, and served as Mine Inspector of the Yukon Territory from 1897 to 1899. He subsequently bought a ranch near

Medicine Hat Medicine Hat is a city in southeast Alberta, Canada. It is located along the South Saskatchewan River. It is approximately east of Lethbridge and southeast of Calgary. This city and the adjacent Town of Redcliff to the northwest are with ...

(now in

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

), and owned 800 km² (200,000 acres) with 10,000 head of cattle and 2,000 horses. For ten years, McGregor also managed the British-owned Canada Land and Irrigation Company and helped build reservoirs and canal systems near

Milo Milo may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Milo'' (magazine), a strength sports magazine *'' Milo: Sticky Notes and Brain Freeze'', a 2011 children's novel by Alan Silberberg * ''Milo'' (video game), a first-person adventure-puzzle computer ga ...

, in

Vulcan County Vulcan County is a municipal district in Alberta, Canada. Located in Census Division No. 5, its municipal office is located in the Town of Vulcan. History Vulcan County was originally established in 1951. Geography Communities and lo ...

. McGregor Lake, a -long irrigation reservoir in the

Oldman River The Oldman River is a river in southern Alberta, Canada. It flows roughly west to east from the Rocky Mountains, through the communities of Fort Macleod, Lethbridge, and on to Grassy Lake, where it joins the Bow River to form the South Saskatchew ...

drainage basin, was named for McGregor. McGregor gained international fame for his pioneering efforts in stock breeding. He was the first farmer to cultivate alfalfa in the western provinces, thereby reducing the region's dependency on the wheat market. He also founded the Glencarnock stock farms of western Canada, and won a number of international livestock prizes. McGregor never actually ran for public office, despite repeated entreaties. In 1915, he declined an appointment as

Minister of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...

in Manitoba. Two years later, he was appointed wartime leader of the Food Control Board in the western provinces, holding the position for a year. When

Theodore Arthur Burrows Theodore Arthur Burrows (August 15, 1857 – January 18, 1929) was a politician and office-holder in Manitoba, Canada. He served as the tenth Lieutenant Governor of the province from October 6, 1926 until his death. Burrows was born in ...

died in 1929, McGregor was called to succeed him as Manitoba's Lieutenant-Governor (a largely ceremonial position, though McGregor was significant in being the first non-politician to be so appointed). He held this position for five years, and died shortly thereafter.

References

External links

Manitoba Agricultural Hall of Fame profile

Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGregor, James Duncan 1860 births 1935 deaths Canadian people of Scottish descent Lieutenant Governors of Manitoba People of the Klondike Gold Rush People from Amherstburg, Ontario