Archibald Peter McNab

Archibald Peter McNab, born on May twenty-ninth, eighteen sixty-four in Glengarry County, Canada West, was a prominent politician and entrepreneur. He was the son of Malcolm McNab and Margaret McCrimmon and moved to Winnipeg in eighteen eighty-two with his twin brother. After establishing a homestead in Virden, Manitoba, he faced years of drought that forced him to abandon farming. In eighteen eighty-seven, he transitioned to a career as a grain buyer for Ogilvie Flour Mills.

In eighteen ninety-two, McNab married Edith Wilson Todd, and by nineteen hundred two, he had relocated to Rosthern, Saskatchewan, where he invested in two grain elevators. Following the sale of these ventures, he moved to Saskatoon with his family and founded the Dominion Elevator Company. His entrepreneurial spirit also led him to help establish the Saskatchewan Central Railway Company and the Saskatchewan Power Company.

McNab's political career began when he was elected as a Liberal MLA representing Saskatoon City in the nineteen hundred eight general election. He served as commissioner of municipal affairs and became Minister of Public Works in nineteen twelve, notably aiding in the acquisition of the University of Saskatchewan for Saskatoon. In nineteen twenty-two, he was appointed Minister of Telephones.

After retiring from the legislature in nineteen twenty-six, he was appointed to the local government board but resigned in nineteen thirty due to allegations of impropriety. His political journey culminated in his appointment as lieutenant governor of Saskatchewan in nineteen thirty-six, where he hosted King George VI and Queen Elizabeth during their royal visit in nineteen thirty-nine. McNab was the last lieutenant governor to reside in Government House, which closed in September nineteen forty-four as an austerity measure.

In ill health, he resigned on February twenty-six, nineteen forty-five, and passed away from pneumonia two months later. His legacy includes a son, Ernest McNab, who served as a fighter pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War, leading No. 1 Squadron during the Battle of Britain.