McGill and its Story, 1821-1921

In Short

Cyrus MacMillan traces the century-long transformation of McGill University from a disputed land bequest in 1813 into an internationally renowned institution by 1921. Built on the estate and funds left by fur-trader James McGill, the college endured decades of crippling lawsuits from stubborn heirs, administrative infighting, sect-driven rivalries, and severe debt. Through the determination of figures like Dr. John Stephenson, Dr. John Bethune, and Sir William Dawson, McGill established its medical school, survived near-extinction, broadened its non-sectarian mission, and eventually secured the massive private endowments needed to anchor its modern academic identity.

The Story

The narrative begins with James McGill, a wealthy Montreal fur-trader and public servant, who dies in 1813 leaving his forty-six-acre Burnside estate and ten thousand pounds to found a college under the Royal Institution for the Advancement of Learning. The legacy hinges on a strict ten-year deadline for establishment, sparking a decade of fierce litigation. McGill’s step-son and heir, Francis Desrivières, retains the property, forcing the newly chartered institution into costly, prolonged appeals before the local courts and the British Privy Council. Though the court eventually confirms the grant, Desrivières’s family delays surrendering the accrued financial endowment for years, bringing the university to the edge of insolvency.

Even after obtaining the Burnside estate, the university encounters administrative turmoil and political friction. Early efforts by Dr. John Strachan and church authorities to bind the institution strictly to the Church of England provoke intense pushback from rival Protestant denominations and the Provincial Legislature. Meanwhile, the Montreal Medical Institution aligns itself with the fledgling college, forming McGill’s first active faculty and establishing a rigorous standard for clinical training. Yet structural chaos persists. Under the acting principalship of Dr. John Bethune, relations between the Governors and the Royal Institution deteriorate; inside the classrooms, a tiny handful of students face a hostile, divided faculty whose members refuse to speak to one another. Threatened by crippling debts and a lack of public trust, the imperial government vetoes restrictive religious statutes, opening the door for broader civic support.

The turning point arrives in 1855 with the appointment of Principal William Dawson, a Nova Scotian geologist. Inheriting a neglected campus with zero working budget and eighty students, Dawson spends thirty-eight years patiently expanding the curriculum, adding applied science, establishing normal schools for teacher training, and defending the university’s non-sectarian stance. Generous local philanthropists, including Peter Redpath and Sir Donald Smith (Lord Strathcona), fund key facilities such as the university museum, engineering wings, and Royal Victoria College for women. As the century closes, Principal William Peterson takes the helm, overseeing a modern university boasting over a thousand students, cutting-edge laboratories under researchers like Ernest Rutherford, and a unified national purpose forged in the crucible of the First World War.

How It Unfolds

The vision and the contested bequest James McGill devises his estate and money to the Royal Institution to build a university within ten years of his death. Following his passing in 1813, his step-son refuses to hand over the property, triggering years of expensive lawsuits in Canadian and imperial courts.

Medical pioneers save the institution With the main academic program deadlocked by litigation, the Montreal Medical Institution petitions to join McGill as its first functional branch. Doctors run classes off-site, establishing an rigorous curriculum long before permanent campus buildings exist.

Internal discord and public alienation By the 1840s, a formal inquiry reveals that McGill shelters fewer than ten students, heavy debts, and a bitterly divided faculty. The British government steps in to reject exclusive Anglican statutes, preserving the founder's original non-sectarian intent.

Dawson rebuilds the foundation Appointed principal in 1855, William Dawson transforms the struggling college through thirty-eight years of tireless administration. He introduces scientific research, expands facilities, and secures crucial financial support from Montreal's business leaders.

The modern era emerges Under Principal William Peterson, McGill expands into a national enterprise with world-class facilities, dedicated women's education, and advanced scientific research, entering its second century as a cornerstone of Canadian higher education.

The People

• James McGill: A prosperous, social fur-trader and politician who envisions a non-sectarian college for Lower Canada; his death initiates the battle for his estate.
• Francis Desrivières: The step-son and heir who holds the land and funds in legal limbo for over two decades, nearly starving the institution of its funding.
• Dr. John Strachan: An energetic Anglican leader and executor who champions higher education but pushes for an exclusive Church of England character that provokes public opposition.
• Dr. John Bethune: An ambitious acting principal whose controversial eleven-year administration brings the college to operational reality, despite fierce clashes with visitors and colleagues.
• Sir William Dawson: A focused geologist and administrator who rescues McGill from decay, building its faculties, student body, and physical presence over nearly four decades.
• Sir William Peterson: A classical scholar from Scotland who takes the principalship in 1895 to guide McGill into its modern, research-oriented second century.

In Its Own Voice

"The story is one of struggle and disappointment, of discouragement and controversy, and of ultimate success and triumph."

The author sets the tone early, framing the university's history as an uphill battle won by persistent faith rather than easy triumph.

"There is a great want of cordiality and harmony among the Professors and Officers of the College; some not even speaking to others."

A 1844 inspection report highlights the extreme personal and administrative dysfunction that threatened to ruin the university in its youth.

"The janitor, supplied with a watch and a large bell, was placed in the hall outside the door of the library... At the expiration of each ten minutes he rang the bell, and the candidates went from one examiner to another."

This vivid glimpse into early medical examinations illustrates the archaic, high-pressure oral testing methods used by the original medical faculty.

What It's Really About

Beneath the chronological record of land grants and charter revisions, the book is about the fragile process of building civic institutions in a young nation. It explores how private wealth and individual vision must constantly navigate political inertia, religious intolerance, and legal gridlock before taking root. MacMillan frames education as the essential engine for Canadian unity, arguing that a university cannot flourish as the exclusive tool of one church or faction. Instead, it requires broad-minded tolerance, stable civic patronage, and steady stewardship to serve a diverse public. Ultimately, the work celebrates how unyielding personal perseverance can turn a precarious gift into an enduring public legacy.

Why Read It Today

This institutional history will captivate readers fascinated by early Canadian history, the evolution of academic life, and the sheer human effort required to build lasting public institutions from scratch. Rather than presenting a dry corporate chronology, MacMillan brings a biographer's eye to the narrative, writing with clear, stately prose that balances archival detail with human drama.

The text presents few barriers beyond its period-typical administrative detail and occasional transcriptions of nineteenth-century legal correspondence and wills. While readers seeking pure narrative momentum might tire of official despatches, these documents provide authentic color, revealing the petty rivalries, financial panics, and high-minded debates that shaped early Canadian education. What stays with you is the sheer fragility of the early university—a reminder that great seats of learning are not born fully formed, but are built through decades of bitter, quiet sacrifice.