Donald Guthrie, Barrister and representative for South Wellington in the House of Commons, is son of Hugh and Catharine (Macgregor) Guthrie, and was born in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland, May 8, 1810. His father was in business for many years in that city. His mother was a daughter of John Macgregor, of Rannoch, Perthshire, Scotland.
Donald commenced his education in his native city; came to Canada in 1854; finished his literary studies with a maternal uncle, Patrick Macgregor, M. A., barrister, Toronto, and author of a system of logic published by Harper Brothers, New York; studied law in Toronto with Hon. Oliver Mowat, Premier of Ontario, and John Helliwell, Solicitor for the Bank of Toronto, and at Guelph with Hon. A.J. Fergusson Blair, at one time President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada, and Senator, and John J. Kingsmill, now Judge of the County of Bruce; was admitted as an attorney in 1863; called to the bar in Trinity term, 1866, and created a Queen’s Counsel by the Ontario Government in March, 1876. He is senior partner in the firm of Guthrie, Watt and Cutten, the leading law firm in the city. Mr. Watt attends to the Chancery department of the business; Mr. Cutten to common law, and Mr. Guthrie is the barrister of the firm, he being a powerful pleader, clear and forcible, and making a fine impression on a jury. His standing is highly creditable to the county bar.
Mr. Guthrie is Solicitor for the County of Wellington and the City of Guelph, for the Ontario and Federal Banks, also for the Wellington Mutual Insurance Company, etc. He has been President of the, Guelph Gas Company continuously since 1870, and holds a position in the front rank of public spirited citizens of that young city.
Mr. Guthrie was first elected to Parliament, July 5, 1876, on the resignation of the sitting member, David Stirton, who was appointed Postmaster of Guelph; and was re-elected at the general election held September 17, 1878, being one of those staunch Reformers who were not slaughtered in the great Conservative victory in the Dominion, in that great political contest. He was endorsed by his constituents in the South Riding of Wellington by a very handsome majority.
The religious connection of Mr. Guthrie is with the Presbyterian Church.
On December 17, 1863, he was married at Montreal to Eliza Margaret, youngest daughter of John MacVicar, deceased, of Chatham, Ont., and they have six children. Mrs. Guthrie is a sister of Dr. D. H. MacVicar, Principal of the Presbyterian College at Montreal, and of Dr. Malcolm MacVicar, Principal of the Normal School at Potsdam, N. Y., and the author of one or two popular mathematical works, published in the United States.