James Stuart Mackie, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death
TweetJames Stuart Mackie
Canadian businessman and politician
Date of Birth: 
Place of Birth: City of Westminster, England, United Kingdom
About James Stuart Mackie
- James Stuart Mackie (March 12, 1860 – January 21, 1949) was a Canadian businessman and politician.
- He was the 12th mayor of Calgary, Alberta. Mackie was born in Westminster, England in 1860 to Scottish parents.
- Hearing of opportunities in Canada, he emigrated to Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1882.
- In Winnipeg, he learnt to become a gunsmith with Hingston Smith Arms Company.
- In 1885, he went back to England to convince his parents to return with him to Canada.
- They instead decided to go to Syracuse, New York then later San Francisco, California.
- While en route back to Canada, Mackie met Grace MacMillan Forgan.
- Forgan was heading to Omaha, Nebraska to be with her parents.
- They continued to write each other, and in February, 1892 they were married. Mackie headed to Calgary in 1886 to open a gun store.
- Mackie had short-lived business partnerships with Walter Mackay and Joseph Cockel that helped expand his business knowledge beyond gunsmithing.
- He ended up being involved with taxidermy, sports goods, fishing tackle, cutlery, fur, etc.
- In November 1899, he purchased the Thomson Bros.
- bookstore.
- In 1901, he bought the Thompson Stationary Company. In 1891, Mackie became a charter member of the Calgary Board of Trade, which is now the Chamber of Commerce.
- He spent six years as an Alderman of the Calgary City Council.
- He also held the position of mayor for one term. Mackie also got himself into real estate.
- He built the Mackie Block and the Lancaster building in Calgary, which are today prominent historical structures in downtown Calgary.
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