Francis J. MacNeill

MACNEILL, FRANCIS J. "PEG," teacher and school superintendent; b. 15 October 1912 in Summerside, son of Daniel Francis MacNeill and Pearl Tamlyn; m. 31 January 1940 Anne Marie de la Garde of St. Isadore, Gloucester, England, and they had five children, Patricia, Mary Frances, Janice, Danny, and Donald; Roman Catholic; d. 12 July 2000 in Summerside. MacNeill, a Conservative, was elected to the Legislative Assembly in a by-election held 26 November 1946 for 5th Prince. He was defeated in the general election of 1947. The by-election was held as a result of his father's death. MacNeill came from a family with a long political history in the province. His grandfather James A.*, his father Daniel Francis*, his uncle Leonard Malcolm*, and his brother Hubert"' were Members of the Legislative Assembly. "Peg" MacNeill, as he was known, received his early education in Summerside, later attending Prince of Wales College in Charlottetown for two years. Fie received a Bachelor of Arts from St. Dunstan's College in 1935 and a Bachelor of Science from St. Francis Xavier University in 1936. In 1961 MacNeill received a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of New Brunswick. He began teaching a grade VI class in Summerside in April 1937 and continued to teach until the outbreak of the Second World War. He served overseas with the Cape Breton Highlanders and was discharged at war's end with the rank of Captain. Upon returning to the province, MacNeill went back to his pre-war teaching job. He taught classes in all subjects in grades XI and XII, which at the time were new grade levels in the Summerside school system. MacNeill was the first principal of Elm Street School and served as superintendent of all the Summerside schools, and later as the Superintendent of the Unit 2 School Board. When he retired from service in the school system in 1977, he had more than 40 years' experience. MacNeill was a member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of School Administrators, the Prince Edward Island Teacher's Federation and the Teachers Superannuation Board. He was president of the Summerside Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion, the Rotary Club and the Prince County Caledonia Club. MacNeill also was president of the Summerside Lobster Carnival and Livestock Exhibition. "Peg" MacNeill died 12 July2000 at the Prince County Hospital. Frances and Anne MacNeill were married in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.