Angus McMillan

MCMILLAN, ANGUS, shipbuilder, bank director, and president; b. 29 October 1817 in Argyleshire, Scotland, son of Hugh McMillan and Catherine MacPherson; m. 26 February 1855 Mary Ross, and they had three sons and one daughter; Presbyterian; d. 13 March 1906 in Wheatley River. McMillan, a Liberal, was first elected to the House of Assembly in a by-election held in 1868 for 5th Prince. McMillan was re-elected in the general elections of 1870, 1876, 1879, and 1890. He was defeated in the general elections of 1872, 1882, and 1886. McMillan was elected to the Legislative Assembly in the general election of 1893 for 5th Prince. He was re-elected in the general election of1897. He served on Executive Council from 1878 to 1879 as a Minister without Portfolio. In 1891 he was again appointed to Executive Council, and to the position of Secretary-Treasurer and Commissioner of Public Lands. In 1900 McMillan retired due to his advanced age. In provincial politics, McMillan was called "Honest Angus." Initially opposed to Confederation, he supported the building of the railway in the province, which eventually led to the Island joining Canada in 1873. McMillian lived in Scotland for most of his childhood and received his early education there. He immigrated to the province with his family in 1834, and they settled in Wheatley River. In 1851 he began a shipbuilding career in his home community, and later started a shipbuilding business with his two brothers in Egmont Bay. Following this, he moved to Summerside to establish another shipyard. By the time McMillan left the shipbuilding business in 1884, he had constructed at least 58 vessels. He was also a merchant and used his ships to transport cargo for sale in Great Britain. The success of his business career was marked by his appointment in 1865 to the position of director, and eventually president, of the Summerside Bank. Angus McMillan died 13 March 1906. Mary McMillan, the daughter of Malcolm Ross of Wheatley River, died in 1859.