Finlayson, George Daniel, B.A., A.I.A., is the son of Edward Finlayson, a farmer who was born at Merigomish, N.S., and Catherine (Smith) Finlayson, and a brother of Professor J. N. Finlayson of Dalhousie University, Halifax. Mr. Finlayson was born in Merigomish, Pictou County, Nova Scotia, December 31, 1882, and received his education in the country school, Merigomish, Pictou Academy, and Dalhousie University, graduating in 1907 with B.A. and great distinction. On May 6, 1907, Mr. Finlayson entered upon his duties in connection with the Dominion Insurance Department, and at once became a valuable acquisition to the staff of that branch of the Civil Service. It was not long before his great ability as an authority on, and his general knowledge of, all phases of insurance brought him prominently to the notice of the Ottawa authorities and the heads of insurance companies throughout Canada, and his promotion, as a consequence, was rapid. Seven years later, from the time he entered the service on September 1, 1914, and at the early age of 32 years, he was appointed to the highest position in the Insurance Department, viz., that of Superintendent, which position he holds to-day. In the execution of his duties, he is noted for his courtesy to all who seek information from him. In 1914, Mr. Finlayson married Isabel M. Grant, daughter of A. M. Grant, of Moncton, New Brunswick, and has one daughter, Catherine Smith Finlayson, and one son. Mr. Finlayson is a member of the Canadian, University, and Riverside Golf clubs. For recreation he indulges in tennis, golf and walking. He is a Presbyterian in religion, and his residence is 200 Carling Avenue, Ottawa.
McLean, Angus Alexander, LL.B., K.C., Ex-M.P., Controller of the Royal North-West Mounted Police, since 1917, was born December 17, 1854, at Belfast, Prince Edward Island, and received his education at the Prince of Wales College, Charlottetown, P.E.I., and Harvard Law School. He is the son of William and Flora McLean, both of Prince Edward Island. Having read law in the office of the late Chief Justice, Hon. Sir William Sullivan, Mr. McLean was called to the bar in 1876, and became a partner in the law firm of Sullivan, McLean & Morsen. Afterwards he was senior member of McLean & McKinnon, barristers and solicitors, Victoria Row, Charlottetown, P.E.I. In June, 1894, he was appointed Q.C., and revising officer for East Queen’s, and was elected President of the P.E.I. Law Society. For eight years, Mr. McLean was law clerk for the P.E.I. Legislature, and was Official Assignee under the old Dominion Insolvent Act for five years. During 1888, 1889 and 1900, Mr. McLean represented the constituency of Belfast in the P.E.I. Legislature. He was a candidate at the by-elections of 1902 and 1904 for the House of Commons, and was elected at the General Election of 1904. In the General Election of 1908 he was defeated, but in 1911 was elected by a large majority. October 15, 1917, he was appointed controller of the Royal North-West Mounted Police. In June 14, 1882, Mr. McLean married Leah Yeo, daughter of the late John Yeo, of Charlottetown. She died in 1897. In 1898, he married Frances H. Longworth, daughter of the late Henry Longworth, of Charlottetown. He has two sons, both of whom served with distinction in the Overseas forces during the great world war. In religion Mr. McLean is a Presbyterian, in politics a Liberal-Conservative, and he is a member of the A.F. & A.M.; the I.O.O.F.; and the S.O.S. Societies. He resides at 312 Cooper Street, Ottawa, Ontario.
Robertson, Hon. Gideon Decker, P.C., Federal Minister of Labor, was the first actual representative of organized labor to be called to either the Dominion Cabinet or the Senate of Canada, He was born at Welland, Ont., on August 26, 1874, the son of Gavin E. Robertson and Laretto Goring, both native Canadians. His paternal grandfather was a native of Scotland, who became a member of the bar and later went to Jamaica, where he took an active part in the agitation for the abolition of slavery, which became a fully accomplished fact in 1838. In this movement Robertson was in correspondence with Clarkson, Macaulay (father of Lord Macaulay), Wilberforce and others active in freeing the British Empire from this reproach. Later, he came to Canada, where Gavin Robertson, father of the subject of this sketch, was born, and where he became a farmer and school teacher on the Niagara peninsula. Gideon Decker Robertson was educated at the public and high schools of Welland and as a youth took up telegraphy in connection with railroad work. A strong believer in trades unionism, he soon became active in the Order of Railroad Telegraphers, an international body, of which he was some years ago elected Vice-President, an office he still holds. His duties brought him in contact with the chiefs of organized labor on this continent, and he won a high reputation for clear thinking and executive ability. In 1917, when Sir Robert Borden decided to abolish party lines and form a Union Government, he offered Mr. Robertson a position in the Senate and a seat in his Cabinet. The offer was accepted, and in the autumn of that year he was sworn in as a member of the Privy Council and a Minister without Portfolio. In May, 1918, he was appointed Chairman of the sub-Committee of the Council on Labor Problems, and also Chairman of the National Registration Board in connection with the war. On November 7, 1918, he was sworn in as Minister of Labor in succession to Hon. T. W. Crothers, who had announced his intention of retiring some months previously. The appointment was made just at the psychological moment, for the armistice, which had been signed just one week previously, created a host of labor problems more serious than Canada had ever previously been called upon to face; and only a statesman enjoying practical knowledge and the confidence of organized labor could have dealt with the situation. In the spring and summer of 1919 he was called upon to combat a conspiracy affecting all Canada to introduce a modified form of Russian Bolshevism, fathered by the Industrial Workers of the World, known as the “One Big Union.” The aim was to unite all existing labor organizations in one body, and by sympathetic strikes and a policy of terrorism destroy capitalism, and reduce all other classes to subjection. This movement came to a head with a general strike called in Winnipeg early in May, on the pretext of a dispute between the metal workers and their employers. Winnipeg was chosen as a strategic point, because of its peculiar geographical position as the chief divisional point of three transcontinental railways. The aim was to cut Canada in two in the matter of communications, and then by broadening the strike Eastward and Westward secure complete control of Canadian transportation and industry, after which the movement was to be carried into every section of the United States. Senator Robertson himself went to the scene of operations, and by his fearless, though moderate handling of the situation, and his influence with the saner labor elements, rendered the conspiracy abortive so far as the rest of Canada was concerned, and fruitless in Winnipeg. He thus secured a triumph for legitimate trade unionism, of which he is the chief sponsor in Canada. He is a Freemason, a Presbyterian, and in politics a member of the Independent Labor Party. On June 10, 1896, he married Mary Berry Hay, daughter of Alexander Hay, Watford, Ont., and has six children—Edwin J., John McElroy, Gain Elliot, Alexander Lorne, Mabel Letitia, and Alma Lauretta. He formerly resided at Welland but his home is now at Ottawa.
W. H. DWYER
Ottawa