Fonds AAAA0475 - Gordon McGregor Sloan fonds

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Gordon McGregor Sloan fonds

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    CA BCA AAAA0475

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    Issuing jurisdiction and denomination (philatelic)

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    Date(s)

    • 1914-1965 (Creation)
      Creator
      Sloan, Gordon McGregor

    Physical description area

    Physical description

    3.1 m of textual records;ca. 70 photographs

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    Name of creator

    (1898-1959)

    Biographical history

    Gordon McGregor Sloan was born on May 16 1898 in Nanaimo. He was the son of Hon. William Sloan and Flora (Glaholm) Sloan. The Hon. William Sloan, served as an Member of the Legislative Assembly in the Oliver and Brewster governments and was an elected Member of Parliament for the Comox-Alberni area during the Laurier government. Gordon McGregor Sloan was educated at University School Victoria and Langara School, Vancouver. On December 7th, 1916 he joined the Canadian Expeditionary Forces. He served in both the Royal Flying Corps (RCF) and its successor the Royal Air Force (RAF), from 1916-1919, as a pilot and a pilot instructor. On Oct. 16 1918, he married Nancy Porter Nicol. Although they met in England, she was originally from Scotland. After World War I, Sloan returned to British Columbia to continue the study of law. He articled with firm of Elliott, MacLean and Shandley in Victoria. In 1921, he was called to bar. From 1921 to 1933, he was in private practice with Farris and Company in Vancouver. On Nov. 15 1933, he was elected Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) for Vancouver Center, and appointed Attorney-General. Gordon McGregor and Nancy Sloan had two children, David and Betty (Marshall). Both Gordon and Nancy Sloan were active members of the provincial Liberal Party. In April 1937, Sloan resigned his seat and was appointed to the Court of Appeal. In 1940, he was appointed to the Federal Royal Commission into Salmon fishing. This was followed by appointments as commissioner to: the Workmens Compensation Board Inquiry,1942; Royal Commission on Forest Resources in 1943-1945; Workmens Compensation Board Inquiry, in 1952; and Royal Commission on Forest Resources, in 1955-1957. From 1944-1957, he served as Chief Justice of the British Columbia Court of Appeal. During this time he also served as an arbitrator and mediator in many provincial and national labour disputes. In 1946, he was the mediator in the International Woodworkers of America (IWA) strike. He was also named chairman of the arbitration board for signed IWA contract. In 1952 he was involved in mediation for another IWA strike. From 1954 to 1955, Sloan was the arbitrator for a national railway dispute. On September 4 1952 he received an Honorary Doctor of Laws, from the University of British Columbia. On December 1957 he was appointed special Advisor on Forest Resources and Industries. He died on January 14, 1959 following complications from a heart attack in November. He was 60. At the time of his death, the Sloan family resided in Victoria.

    Custodial history

    Records were received in two separate accessions. In 1959 after Sloans death, the records known as MS-1057 were transferred from the office of the Royal Commission on Forestry to the Deputy Provincial Secretary. Later, they were given to the Legislative Library. The records were subsequently transferred to the BC Archives in 1979. In 2001, Rosemary McCullough, granddaughter, donated accession 94-0403 to the BC Archives.

    Scope and content

    The fonds consists of textual records and photographs related to the career and personal life of Gordon McGregor Sloan. This includes: his work on federal and provincial commissions; his arbitration and mediation of various labour disputes; his service on the British Columbia Court of Appeal; his private legal practice and his social and family life. The records are arranged into nine series that reflect his professional roles, his personal life, and specific records types found in the fonds. Series 1, Commission records, consists of reports, indexes, notes, commissioners record books and correspondence related to the Commission on the Capture of Salmon in the Sooke Area and Purse-Seines in the Gulf of Georgia, 1939, the Commission on Workmens Compensation, 1941-1942, and Commission on Forest Resources, 1943-1945. Series 2, Arbitration records, includes, annotated reference material, exhibits, submissions, newspaper clippings and editorials, correspondence, notes, agreements, briefs, a record book, and contracts related to various arbitrations. These arbitrations include: railway arbitration, IWA arbitrations, West Coast Shipbuilders arbitration, Ford Motor Company of Canada arbitration, Metalliferous mines dispute, telephone company arbitration, Sommers case, and BC civil servants. Series 3, Appeal Court correspondence, includes correspondence related to staffing, wage issues, appointments and resignations. This series also includes biographical notes about Gordon McGregor Sloans career. Series 4, Appeal Court records, consists of factums, judgements and memorandums of proceedings before the Appeal Court. A few of these records are annotated by Sloan. Series 5, Administrator correspondence and commissions, includes incoming and outgoing correspondence of Chief Justice Sloan in his position of Administrator of the Province of British Columbia (in absence of the Lieutenant-Governor), his commissions, and an opening and closing speech to the Legislature. Series 6, Legal diaries and correspondence, are yearly appointment diaries kept by Gordon McGregor Sloan while he practised law from 1924-1933. Many of the diaries include notes and correspondence. Series 7, Personal records, consists of correspondence, invitations, programs, newspaper clippings, personal journals, short stories and financial records. Some of the records belong to Nancy Sloan and relate to other family members including father, William Sloan. Also included in this series are some records of the Young Liberal Association and the Laurier Club held by Gordon McGregor Sloan and his son David Sloan. Series 8 is family and professional photographs. Series 9 is published material with annotations from Gordon McGregor Sloans library. Publications related to law and forestry, without annotations, were removed. Some publications which were identified as exhibits from the Commission on Forestry Resources, 1943-1945, were integrated into the records of GR-0520.

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        Finding aids

        File list arranged by series is available under the number AAAA0475.

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        BCAUL control number: BCA-2030

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