Harold Macpherson

The Honorable Harold Macpherson (December 24, 1884–July 15, 1963) was a Newfoundland businessman who directed several Canadian corporations, including serving as President, Royal Stores, Ltd. He was a member of the Legislative Council of the General Assembly of Newfoundland and was known internationally for his expertise in the Newfoundland dog breed and for his Westerland Kennels (St. John’s, NL).
==Family==
Harold Macpherson was born in St. John's, NL on December 24, 1884, the son of Campbell (1851-1908) and Emma (1852-1908) Macpherson. His older brother, Cluny Macpherson (1879 - 1966) was a medical officer in the First Newfoundland Regiment. Cluny organized several St John Ambulance brigades in Newfoundland and later developed early prototypes of the gas mask. Cluny's son, Campbell Leonard Macpherson (1907-1973) served as the Lieutenant Governor of Newfoundland (1957-1963). Campbell then took over the role of president of the Royal Stores after Harold's death.
His aunt, Margaret Campbell Macpherson (1860-1931), was an award-winning painter with studios in France and Scotland. 
The author and poet Phebe Florence Miller was a family friend.
The Macpherson family maintained homes in the historic Rennie's Mill Road district (St. John's, NL). Cluny’s home at 65 Rennie's Mill Road, where he served as secretary, treasurer and registrar for the Newfoundland Medical Society, has historic designation.
Macpherson's life-long love of the Newfoundland dog breed was attributed to Oscar, a curly-coated family pet acquired during his childhood, who grew to 100 lb, and was trained to carry loads and retrieve from land and water.
==Business==
The Royal Stores Ltd. was founded in 1895 (shortly after the great fire) by Macpherson's father, in partnership with his uncle, Archibald Macpherson (1864-1921), and William C. Job (1864-1943), head of Job Brothers. The business was located in historic downtown St. John's, NL and became the largest retail establishment
in the city.
Harold Macpherson began working at the Royal Stores when he turned 14 y. In 1904 he went to Montreal to gain experience in a large retail business for one year. By 1909, he was traveling to Europe to buy goods for the hardware and crockery departments of the Royal Stores.
He succeeded his uncle Archibald as president of the Royal Stores. By 1930, he was also Managing Director of The Martin-Royal Stores Hardware Company; Managing Director of The Exploits Valley Royal Stores, Ltd., Grand Falls, Millertown, and Buchans; President, Riverside Woolen Mills, Ltd.; Director, Ontario Equitable Life Insurance Company of Waterloo, Ontario; Director, Dominion Atlantic Insurance Company, Ltd.; Director, Standard Manufacturing Company, Ltd.; Director, Newfoundland Boot & Shoe Manufacturing Company, Ltd.; and President, T. McMurdo & Co., Ltd.
After 82 years, The Royal Stores Ltd. was placed in receivership and closed in 1977. Soon thereafter, the historic buildings were demolished to construct Toronto Dominion Place, in which a cornerstone contains a time capsule of public meeting minutes from City Hall. Their significance was to document the public controversy over the mayor and the city council having waived the city’s Heritage By-Law height restrictions, which had recently been enacted to preserve areas of architectural and historic importance to St. John's. The eleven-story building was opposed by the community for blocking city- and harbor-views.
==Westerland Farm==
In 1865, Westerland Farm was situated on 13 acres, mostly cultivated, and afforded views as far as Monday's Pond (now Monday Pond), Signal Hill and The Narrows. By 1894, it had grown to 21 acres, with a barn housing 40 head of cattle. The property was in a prime market location in the Freshwater Valley, on the outskirts of St. John's. The land was originally cleared by W. H. Thomas & Son, and their family home had beams hand hewn with an adze.
The government of Sir Robert Bond established a "Model Farm" on this property to investigate best agriculture practices for Newfoundland and distribute this information to the public. They focused on market crops as well as remedies for plant and animal diseases; analysis of soils, water and fertilizers; and conducted a study of the adaptability of grasses. Their long-term goal was to establish a School of Agriculture in connection with the farm. These efforts were reversed after subsequent elections of politicians with other agendas. Overtime, the progress of the initial experimental farm faded and remaining activities were a net loss. After gaining power, Sidney Blandford was quick to divest and sold the property to Harold Macpherson in 1912.
After Macpherson took control, the farm became profitable, especially in milk, vegetable and hay production. Credit for the farm's turnaround was also given to Charles Rennie, a veteran of World War 1 from Scotland, who managed the Westerland Farm for 27 years. In particular, Rennie is credited for furthering the Ayrshire cattle in Newfoundland and introducing several varieties of grass to the island. Both Macpherson and Charles Rennie participated in fairs and exhibitions touting improved agricultural practices suited for Newfoundland conditions. The farm sold coach horses, prize-winning White Pekin ducks, and White Wyandotte poultry. Macpherson was also known for managing trotting horses, including the champion, Howard Mann. William J. Browne, after realizing the value of the farm under proper management, changed his opinion, and championed its preservation from development, specifically advocating against "expropriating it and cutting it up into building lots".
Some notable residents of the farm include, Rennie's son, Gordon Macpherson Rennie (1929-2012), who grew up there and became the first mayor of the Village of Frobisher Bay and in 2012 was awarded the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for fifty years of service to the Nunavut community. Author and poet Mina MacDonald Brown (1902-1964), occupied a guest cottage on the estate. One of her poems about a Newfoundland dog, "A Little Prayer for Larry", was inspired by Westerland.
Construction on the initial buildings for Memorial University were undertaken by Whitney-Hanson Limited in 1959. In 1961, the house and remaining property were purchased by Macpherson's nephew, the Honorable Campbell MacPherson, then lieutenant-governor of Newfoundland. Several views of the property were featured in a 1981 television episode.After Campbell's death, the house was not maintained. The government re-acquired the property. A report prepared by the Historical Research Section of the Canadian Inventory of
Historic Building, identified Westerland Estate (2A Westerland Road, also known as 6 Lambe's Lane) as a potential historic property, noting it was previously owned by Her Majesty for use as an experimental farm. In 2023, the house and most vegetation were bulldozed for future development.
A namesake, Westerland Road on the campus of Memorial University, is the only vestige of the former farm. Modern structures on the old farm include St. Augustine's Church, CBC Newfoundland and Labrador and the Aquarena Fitness Center, which is under development for Canada Games 2025.
==Westerland Kennels==
Harold Macpherson became the celebrated Newfoundland dog breeder, "Mr. Newfoundland", and "father" of the modern breed in America after establishing kennels at Westerland farm. He was credited with improving the breed and its resurgence in popularity. His dogs were exported throughout North and South America, to Asia, Australia, Britain, and to many European countries. Notable recipients of Westerland dogs include historian and author Hendrik Willem van Loon 
Macpherson wrote a book on the breed explaining its history and value for work, describing acceptable breed standards, and noting anecdotes of its admirable characteristics. He served as vice-president of an early iteration of the Newfoundland Club of America and was an accredited judge for the American Kennel Club.
 When he died, he was the only Newfoundlander to have judged the breed at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York.
Macpherson's interest in preserving the breed began when he was only 16 y. He was asked to assist in finding a Newfoundland dog of good stature that could pull a cart as part of gift presented by the children of Newfoundland to the Duke & Duchess of Cornwall and York (George V) during their royal visit to the colony in 1901. Macpherson later remarked, "I was disappointed at the small number of dogs that were even moderately good." He helped to train Bouncer to harness with a dogcart made by the Oke Carriage Factory. A photo of the dog and cart was used to create a famous advertisement and souvenir postcard.
Macpherson began breeding with the pup Guess, brought from the west coast of Newfoundland where the breed's inherent characteristics were better preserved than on the east coast. He attempted to regain prized traits lost through interbreeding, particularly in temper and undercoat. Although smooth coat had been selected for show quality, which was adopted from the English standard, he thought that this was a disservice to the breed in that wavy, rough-coats had better underfur for Newfoundland weather. Newfoundland-born dogs were first shown in 1928 at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in Madison Square Garden. Harold Macpherson entered two from his kennels, Westerland Flora and Westerland Sheila (also, Sheilah), both registered with the American Kennel Club and with the Newfoundland Live Stock Registry. When Newfoundland joined Canada, the Canadian Kennel Club imposed its registration regulations on dog breeders in the province, requiring that pups be either nose-printed or tattooed. Many kennels gave up breeding for this reason, further winnowing down the Newfoundland dog population on the island.
Megan M. Nutbeem (1927-2012) of Nutbeem Bay Kennels (Harbor Grace, NL) credits Westerland Kennels for whelping Sable Chief, a mascot of the 2nd Battalion
of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment in World War 1. His legend continued to resonate with Newfoundlanders over time. A London Times photograph of Sable Chief inspired the production of souvenir ornaments by a disabled WW1 veteran in 1950. The pelt of Sable Chief was preserved and returned to Newfoundland and is displayed at The Rooms, the Provincial Museum of Newfoundland and Labrador (St. John's, NL). 
Macpherson was pleased with the phenotype of Westerland Watch, which he theorized had offset, in some measure, the defects introduced by the mastiff. He noted that this dog had the desired underfur and stamina of the native breed; whereas his size, dark brown eyes and straight coat were inherited from his sire (father), Kayle (or Kayli) (nicknamed Drake), who was owned by Eric A. Bowring of Bowring Brothers Limited. Watch's image was included in publications as representative of the Newfoundland dog.
Westerland Sieger (N.R. 122, A.K.C. 759851) was born June 1929, a sixth generation pup of Westerland breeding. Sieger became famous and sired 21 registered offspring. He served as the model for a postage stamp designed to honor the Newfoundland dog's service in delivering mail by dog sled to remote outports through winter snow. The stamp was released on January 2, 1932 and was used through April 1, 1949 as part of The Resources definitive issue stamp set. To commemorate the Coronation of King George VI, Newfoundland released a set of stamps coinciding with the day of coronation, May 12, 1937. The designs in this set (the 1937 Long Coronation Issue of Newfoundland) mostly repeated the 1932 "First Resources" issue, but added the image of the new King, thereby forming an elongated design. Both issues of stamps had the Newfoundland Coat of Arms watermark. The original photograph of Westerland Sieger used to create the engraving was published on the cover of Newfoundland Quarterly. A set of playing cards and a bridge set featuring the 1932 stamp was sold during the 1942 holiday season.
A grandpup of Westerland Sieger was adopted by Hendrik Willem van Loon in Old Greenwich, Connecticut. He renamed him Mungo after Sir Walter Scott's Newfoundland dog. Macpherson considered this breed best kept out of the house, but Mungo enjoyed many years as a household pet. As Mungo neared 200 pounds and Hendrik's health was failing the dog became too large to manage and was shipped back to Newfoundland. He was adopted as a U.S. Air Force mascot during World War II by Nicholas Benjamin Robson (1921-1999). Mungo was photographed on base with Charlie McCarthy and Edgar Bergen, was mentioned by Charlie during a radio show and flew onboard anti-submarine patrols seeking Nazi U-boats. After fortuitously being quarantined in London, Mungo missed the flight on November 13, 1943 with the 392nd, which was shot down over Bremen by Luftwaffe fighters. Robson parachuted and survived, spent time in a prisoner-of-war camp, and was reunited with Mungo on his family's farm near Salina, Kansas.
Over his lifetime, Macpherson registered more than 140 Newfoundland dogs. One of the last dogs he bred at Westerland Kennels was Newton, whom he gifted to a child who had recently lost a family pet. Later when Newton outgrew the family, he was sold to breeders who recognized his value as a show dog. Newton became a Bermuda and American Champion; and, by 1967 was the top winning Newfoundland dog of all time in North America.
==Elected Office and Community Service==
Harold Macpherson served as member of the Legislative Council (Upper House) of the General Assembly of Newfoundland from 1930-1934, during the Great Depression, a position appointed by the Governor.[3] After examining the extent of the public debt and weighing various options, the Newfoundland Royal Commission recommended replacing the local government (the Council) in 1934 with a Commission appointed by the British Government.[4] From 1935 to 1947, Macpherson was a member of the Branch and Cape Shore Development Committee, established to diversify the economic base of the Avalon Peninsula's southern shore.
The Macpherson family attended Gower Street Church and were financial donors and volunteers in the church and the Methodist College, where their children were educated. Harold's father established the Macpherson Travel Scholarships for clergy of the Methodist Church (later the United Church) in Newfoundland to afford annual visits to the Holy Land.
After a fire in 1925, the K–11 system was rebuilt as United Church College (Holloway School and Prince of Wales College). Harold Macpherson served as chairman of the United Church Board of Education. The Curtis Academy, a United Church co-ed school, opened in 1943 and dedicated its June 1953 yearbook to Macpherson in honor of his 30-plus year volunteer service to The Board, especially for providing oversight in the construction of its Academy and that of the Macpherson Academy. The Curtis Academy was destroyed by fire in 1975.
Rennie’s River is a major waterway flowing through downtown St. John’s (NL) into Quidi Vidi Lake, with ecological and historic significance. It powered the first flour mill in Newfoundland (Rennie Brothers, 1835), which was also the site of the first mechanical bakery in North America. In 1920, the Trade Bakery Company (previously, Rennie Baking Company) burned to the ground but the old Rennie's Mill wheel kept churning until, once abandoned, it disintegrated. Macpherson, an early champion of preserving the river for public benefit, purchased the riverfront property; he deeded it to the city for use as a public pool. The St. John's Rotary Club, of which he was a member, undertook the project to convert the dams and adapt the river to open the Rotary Pool in July 1928, which included a wading area for young children. By the early 1950's, polluted water from ongoing development and contamination forced the pool closure. The Quidi Vidi/Rennie’s River Development Foundation formed in 1985 to stabilize tributaries, restore the natural environment, and construct a fish ladder. These efforts produced one of the densest populations of brown trout in North America and restored recreation along the river. In November 1990, The Fluvarium opened to educate the public about the importance of protecting watersheds, such as Rennie's River.
The Harold- and Cluny Macpherson families maintained a summer residence at Beachy Cove on Conception Bay. For more than 20 seasons, they hosted The Third St. John's Girl Guide Company's summer camp and built a garage-apartment for them to use in bad weather and to store camping gear year-round.	
Macpherson is credited with identifying Louis Burry as a Newfoundland folk singer whose unique work should be preserved. With Macpherson's assistance, musicologist Margaret Sargent McTaggart, interviewed and recorded Burry in August 1950, just prior to completing her collected work of Newfoundland folklore for the National Museums of Canada.
==Legacy==
At the turn of the 20th century, native-born Newfoundland dogs were scarce due to open-kill policies that overtime had decimated the population, and interbreeding had diluted characteristic traits. Macpherson is credited with having the greatest impact on a resurgence of the breed's show quality and popularity in Newfoundland. Many generations of Westerland dogs were photographed and these photos were published in newspapers, books, on magazine covers, in tourism materials, and engraved on postage stamps. Often a dog or two were pictured with Harold Macpherson in business and society photos. These images of his dogs along with the legends of Sable Chief and Mungo among others, cemented the Newfoundland Dog into the historical and cultural heritage of the island.
Macpherson Academy was named in honor of Harold and opened in 1949. The building on Newtown Road was designed by Frederick Augustus Colbourne (1910–1989), and is one in a series of modernist projects his firm undertook in St. John's using cast-in-place concrete with artistic elements. While the Academy was under construction, Colbourne helped launch the Newfoundland Association of Architects. After half a century, due to declining enrollment, lack of busing and the age of the building, Macpherson Elementary closed in 2010.
 The building was then updated and repurposed into a senior apartment complex, retaining several unique architectural features and the historic name, Macpherson.
The Honorable Paul Davis, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, officiated the naming ceremony on October 8, 2014 for Macpherson College, a student housing complex at Memorial University, in honor of Cluny and Harold Macpherson.
Category:1884 births
Category:Canadian people
Category:Businesspeople
Category:1963 deaths