Chalmers Jack Mackenzie, CC CMG MC FRS FRSC[1] (July 10, 1888 – February 26, 1984) was a Canadian civil engineer, chancellor of Carleton University, president of the National Research Council, first president of Atomic Energy of Canada Limited, first president of Atomic Energy Control Board and instrumental in the development of science and engineering education in Canada.

Chalmers Jack Mackenzie
Chalmers Jack Mackenzie (on left) receiving honorary degree from the University of British Columbia. October 1947
Born(1888-07-10)July 10, 1888
DiedFebruary 26, 1984(1984-02-26) (aged 95)
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
AwardsOrder of Canada,
Fellow of the Royal Society[1]

He was born in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, the youngest of six children of James and Janet MacKenzie. He attended Milltown High School, then completed a Bachelor of Engineering at Dalhousie University in 1909[1] and a Masters in Engineering from Harvard University in 1915.[2]

In 1912 he was hired to develop an engineering program at the University of Saskatchewan. He served in the Canadian Army during World War I (1915-1918). After the war he continued at the University of Saskatchewan until 1932, when he took a leave of absence to supervise public works projects. In 1939 he left Saskatchewan for Ottawa to become president of the National Research Council.[3] In 1943 he received the Sir John Kennedy Medal.

In 1949 he sat on the Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters and Sciences, the so-called "Massey Commission", one objective of which was developing Canada's system of publicly funded research.[4]

In 1967, he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.[5] He received honorary degrees from the University of Saskatchewan, the University of British Columbia, the University of Western Ontario, the University of Ottawa, McMaster University, Queen's University, and the University of New Brunswick.

The Mackenzie Engineering Building at Carleton University is named in his honour. The high school in Deep River, Ontario, Mackenzie Community School (formerly C.J. Mackenzie High School[6]), is named in his honour.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Legget, R. F. (1985). "Chalmers Jack Mackenzie. 10 July 1888-26 February 1984". Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 31: 410–426. doi:10.1098/rsbm.1985.0014. JSTOR 769931.
  2. ^ "Chalmers J. MacKenzie (1948-1961)".
  3. ^ "Canada Science and Technology Museum". Archived from the original on 2007-07-08.
  4. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-05-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. ^ Order of Canada citation
  6. ^ "Mackenzie Community School History". Mackenzie Community School. 23 August 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2017.
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Academic offices
Preceded by Chancellor of Carleton College/Carleton University
1954–1968
Succeeded by