The Fredericton Society of Saint Andrew

As the Fredericton Society of Saint Andrew is approaching its bicentennial in 2025, we are offering biographical articles featuring some of the more prominent persons who have been members of the FSSA. The previous article highlighted John Simpson, the first Mayor of Fredericton. This article features John B. McNair who served as Premier of New Brunswick from 1940 to 1952.  John Babbitt McNair (1889 – 1968) Scholar, Lawyer, Politician, Premier, Judge, Lieutenant-Governor by Ian Andrews  On Waterloo Row in Fredericton, across from the Saint John River, stands a well-appointed structure, built in the 19th century, and identified by a plaque on the front as the Quartermain House Bed & Breakfast. Since becoming a B&B over a decade ago, the Quartermain House has more than once received the designation as the #1 Bed & Breakfast in North America. This place previously served as the home of John Babbitt McNair, a convenient short walk from the Provincial Legislature where ...

by Ian Andrews -  President, Fredericton Society of Saint Andrew -  In 2023 the city of Fredericton is celebrating the 175th anniversary of its incorporation in 1848. The Fredericton Region Museum has prepared a special exhibit to commemorate this important milestone in the history of New Brunswick’s capital city. The first Mayor of Fredericton was John Simpson, a prominent citizen of Scottish origin who had been actively involved in the life of his chosen community.  Since John Simpson had been a founding member of the Fredericton Society of Saint Andrew in 1825, the FSSA decided to research and produce a short monograph on this “citizen of Fredericton”. The booklet was edited by FSSA members Ellen MacGillivary, John Ross and Wallace Brown and was published in 1987 under the title John Simpson: First Mayor of Fredericton and the First Secretary of the Fredericton Society of Saint Andrew . The following biographical sketch of John Simpson is adapted from this source....