John McMillan (Salvation Army officer)

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Commissioner
John McMillan
McMillan with the rank of a major in 1909
5th Chief of the Staff
In office
21 May 1937 – 22 September 1939
GeneralEvangeline Booth
Preceded byHenry Mapp
Succeeded byAlfred G. Cunningham
Personal details
Born1874
Glasgow, Scotland
Died22 September 1939
London, England
SpouseFrances White[1] (m. 1901)

John McMillan was a Scottish minister and Salvation Army officer who served as the 5th Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army from 1937 until his death in 1939.[2]

Personal life[edit]

Born in Glasgow, Scotland, McMillan and his parents converted to Christianity in 1879. His parents were commissioned as Salvation Army officers and served appointments in northern England. In 1888, McMillans parents were appointed to a position in Canada.[3] In 1901, he married Salvation Army captain Frances White. McMillan died on 22 September 1939.[4]

Career[edit]

He became a Salvation Army officer in his teenage years in Canada and was first appointed to a corps in the Ontario province. He later served as the private secretary to the territorial commander of the Canada and Bermuda territory in Toronto. He transferred to Australia in 1896 where he served until 1916. With the rank of Colonel, was appointed as chief secretary of Canada's eastern division, where he served from 4 August 1916 to 31 October 1923, shortly after many of Canada's leading officers had been lost in the Empress of Ireland disaster.[3][5][6] He was then promoted to the rank of commissioner and became the territorial commander of the Salvation Army's central territory in the United States.[7]

After serving as the territorial commander of the Canada and Bermuda territory, General Evangeline Booth appointed McMillan to be Chief of the Staff of The Salvation Army at the organisation's international headquarters in London, succeeding Henry Mapp.[8] Shortly after taking office, McMillan became extremely ill and died in office.[1] Some speculated that he may have succeeded Booth as general had he not become hill. Nearly one thousand people attended his funeral in New York City.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Mrs. John McMillan Dies at 86; Commissioner in Salvation Army". nytimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  2. ^ "Religion: Mapp Out". TIME. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  3. ^ a b "COLONEL JOHN MICMILLAN". salvationist.ca. The Salvation Army of Canada. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  4. ^ a b "900 ATTEND SERVICE FOR JOHN M'MILLAN". nytimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  5. ^ Empress of Ireland – The Salvation Army Connection Archived 25 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine The Salvation Army International Heritage Centre.
  6. ^ Great Tragedy of the Sea Archived 29 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine The War Cry, 13 June 1914.
  7. ^ "Catalog Number 1986.0013.02.009". pastperfectonline.com. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  8. ^ "NEW CHIEF OF STAFF IN SALVATION ARMY; McMillan, the Commander in Canada, Gets No. 2 Post, From Which Mapp Just Retired". nytimes.com. New York Times. Retrieved 12 June 2023.