McLennan Family Fond

John Stewart McLennan was born the 3rd of November 1853 and was the eldest son of Hugh McLennan and Isabella Stewart. Like most of the McLennan children, John Stewart was very successful in both business and academia. Like his brother William, John was also invited as a member of Royal Society of Canada. At the age of 26 after graduating from the University of Cambridge, John made the decision to join his father’s firm and began working for the Montreal Transportation Company. John was active politically from 1916-1939 as a member of the Canadian Senate up until his death (Library of Parliament). John Stewart died at the age of 85 from pneumonia. 

In 1928 John, Isabella and Francis McLennan began correspondence with Sir Arthur W. Currie (president of McGill University at the time) to discuss the establishment of a Memorial Scholarship for the Department of Architecture in honour of their late father Hugh. It is in this document that one can see the McLennan’s family involvement with McGill University and the McLennan family’s important standing in Montreal society.