Peter Aloysius McNeil (3 October 1917 – 4 August 1989) was a Canadian architect and politician. Born in
Dominion, Nova Scotia
Dominion is an unincorporated community in Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Regional Municipality. It is located immediately west of the larger centre of Glace Bay.
Founded in 1906, Dominion got its name from the local Dominion Coal Company and owed its ...
, the eighth son and tenth child of a coal miner, McNeil worked as a farm labourer and carpenter's helper until the
Second World War, joining the
Royal Canadian Navy and attaining the rank of Shipwright 3rd Class.
[Military Records of Peter A. McNeil, obtained from Library and Archives Canada] After completing a correspondence course in architecture while in the Navy, he returned to civilian life as a carpenter, carpenter's foreman, and architect.
Professionally, he is most notable as an architect for the
Diocese of Antigonish and the
Diocese of Charlottetown, for which he built a number of churches and other buildings. He moved from Nova Scotia to
Prince Edward Island in 1957, settling in the village of
Parkdale, where he would serve as the chairman of the village commission from its inception until 1970. After the death of
5th Queens
5th Queens was an electoral district in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, which elected two members to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island from 1873 to 1993. The district was also known as Charlottetown Common until 1939. ...
MLA
Elmer Blanchard
J. Elmer Blanchard (March 6, 1927 – September 20, 1970) was a lawyer and political figure on Prince Edward Island. He represented 5th Queens in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island from 1966 to 1970 as a Liberal.
He was born in ...
, McNeil became the Liberal candidate for the riding in the by-election of 23 November 1970; a race he would win. He represented the riding as Councillor until the end of the session, and did not stand for re-election. He continued to practice as an architect, designing schools, seniors' complexes, churches, and recreational centres. He was the first president of the Prince Edward Island Architect's Association, and a fellow of the Institute of Professional Designers.
He died in
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:McNeil, Peter
Canadian architects
1917 births
1989 deaths
Prince Edward Island Liberal Party MLAs
Royal Canadian Navy personnel of World War II