Memorable Manitobans: William Elliott Macara (1859-1929)

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William Elliott Macara
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Lawyer, civil servant.

Born at London, Ontario on 16 February 1859, son of barrister John Macara of Goderich, Ontario, he was educated at the Goderich Collegiate. He was called to the Ontario Bar in 1881 and came to Winnipeg and was called to the Manitoba Bar in 1882. He practised law with Judge Miller and Thomas Dickey Cumberland under firm name of Miller, Cumberland and Macara. In November 1886, he took up the position of Registrar-General of Manitoba and introduced the Torrens Title System to the province. He was made a King’s Counsel in 1921.

On 17 November 1887, he married Mary Alicia MacDermott (1860-1946). They had no children. He was involved in the early operations of The Winnipeg Foundation. He was a Life Fellow of the Royal Colonial Institute (London) and a member of the Manitoba Club, Pine Ridge Golf Club, St. Charles Country Club, and the Anglican Church. In youth he played lacrosse; interested in sailing and shooting. He had a shooting lodge near Woodside in partnership with Daniel Alexander Macdonald, Charles Frederick Pentland, and George William Northwood. In 1925, he lived at 28 Spence Street, Winnipeg.

He died at Winnipeg on 15 May 1929 and was buried in the St. John's Cathedral Cemetery.

Sources:

Pioneers and Prominent People of Manitoba, Winnipeg: Canadian Publicity Company, 1925.

“William E. Macara is called by death,” Manitoba Free Press, 16 May 1929. [Manitoba Legislative Library, Biographical Scrapbook B8]

“Mrs. Macara legacies aid Winnipeg,” Winnipeg Free Press, 13 April 1946. [Manitoba Legislative Library, Biographical Scrapbook B9]

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 21 July 2021

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

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