Name:
James Archibald MacPherson 
Location served:
Duart  
Years in Practice:
1952 to 1990
Area of Specialization:
Family Medicine  

Biography:

Dr. James Archibald MacPherson was born in Duart, Ontario on the 17th of June, 1927.  Dr. MacPherson was the youngest of 2 children born to Dr. John Roy MacPherson and the former Hazel McKillop.  His father was a beloved physician who practiced medicine in Duart from 1917 until his death in 1978. His brother, John Donald MacPherson was born on the 5th of February, 1920.  Dr. MacPherson attended local one-room schoolhouses S.S. #3 and S.S. #4 in Orford Twp., before going to Ridgetown High School, graduating in 1945.

Dr. MacPherson attended medical school at the University of Western Ontario.  He graduated M.D. in 1951.  Dr. MacPherson was a member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity and he was an avid soccer player.  He interned in St. Thomas at the Ontario Hospital and the Hamilton General Hospital.

Dr. MacPherson joined his father’s medical practice in Duart on July 1st, 1952.

On the 10th of October, 1953, Dr. MacPherson married Marjorie “Yvonne” Bothwell in Chatham.  Mrs. MacPherson was born in Paris, France on the 26th of March, 1929.  She was the eldest of  2 children born to Douglas Earl Bothwell and the former Mary Winnifred Aitken.  She had a younger sister named Joan Winnifred Bothwell, who was born in Hamilton, Ontario.  Mrs. MacPherson was a registered nurse, who graduated from the Hamilton General Hospital School of Nursing.

Dr. and Mrs. MacPherson had 2 daughters, Janet and Ellen and the MacPherson family resided in Highgate.

Like his father, Dr. MacPherson was a Mason and he believed in serving the community.  Dr. MacPherson was on the Kent County Hospital Committee and he served a term as the Chairman of the Kent County Board of Health.   He was a member of the Ridgetown Rotary Club and he served as the President from 1957 to 1958.  Dr. MacPherson was the President of the Kent County Medical Society in 1969.  He enjoyed horse racing and held various positions in the Western  Ontario Racing Association.  Dr. MacPherson served on the Orford Township Council from 1961 until 1964 and he was the Reeve of Orford Township from 1965-1966.  In his spare time, Dr. MacPherson enjoyed stamp collecting, coin collecting and photography.

Mrs. MacPherson was a trustee on the Kent County Board of Education and she served a term as the President.  She also served as the President of the Kent County Children’s Aid Society.  Mrs. MacPherson enjoyed local history and she collected bells and stamps.

Dr. MacPherson died on the 5th of May, 1990.   Mrs. MacPherson died in Chatham on the 21st of March, 2013.  Dr. and Mrs. MacPherson were buried at the Duart Cemetery.

*Dr. MacPherson’s father, Dr. John Roy MacPherson also appears on the Chatham-Kent Physician Tribute website.