Persona

Mackenzie, Chalmers Jack

1888-1984

Chalmers Jack Mackenzie, the first Dean of the University of Saskatchewan College of Engineering, rose to national and international prominence as the man who guided Canada's atomic research during World War II. Mackenzie, who came to be known as the dean of Canadian scientists and was once described as "contributing more to the advancement of science and learning, and to the welfare of Canada through science, than any other living Canadian," was born July 10, 1888 in St. Stephen, New Brunswick. He graduated in engineering from Dalhousie University in 1909, and first joined the University of Saskatchewan in 1912 as a sessional lecturer in civil engineering. He earned his MSc. in Engineering from Harvard in 1915. During World War I, he served with the 54th Battalion CEF. Mackenzie returned to the University of Saskatchewan as a Professor; in 1921, when the School of Engineering became a College, he was appointed Dean. Mackenzie left the University of Saskatchewan in 1939 to join the National Research Council (NRC). He stepped down as president of the NRC in 1952, accepting the post of president of the newly formed Atomic Energy of Canada, where he stayed for one year. In 1963, he was appointed Special Advisor to the Government of Canada on the organization of government scientific activities. Mackenzie was awarded 20 honorary degrees from Canada, the United States, Europe, and Africa. In 1975, the College of Engineering established the C.J. Mackenzie Chair in his honour. Dr. Mackenzie died on February 26, 1984 at the age of 95.