Head and shoulders sketch.of Right Rev. John McLean, first Anglican Bishop of Saskatchewan.
Bio/Historical Note: Right Rev. John McLean, DD, DCL, was born in 1928 at Portsay, Banffshire, Scotland. He earned a MA from the University of Aberdeen in 1851. He came to Canada under the auspices of the Colonial and Continental Church Society (Church of England). He was ordained both deacon and priest at age 30 in 1858, and was appointed assistant curate of St. James' Cathedral, Toronto, and afterwards curate of St. Paul's Cathedral, London. In 1866 McLean was sent to Winnipeg, which was then a little village of about 300 inhabitants. Here he was made Rector of St. John's Cathedral, Warden and Divinity Professor of St. John's College, Archdeacon of Assiniboia (later changed to Archdeacon of Manitoba), and Examining Chaplain to the Bishop. In 1879 Emmanuel College (Indian Boys Industrial School) was founded by Bishop McLean at Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, as a “training College for Native Helpers.” In 1883 by an Act of Parliament, Emmanuel College was incorporated as "The University of Saskatchewan.” Though the school began with a general education curriculum, by 1886 it was entirely devoted to training teachers for Indian schools. When the provincial university was established in Saskatoon in 1909, the Synod decided to relinquish its title and opt for affiliation to the new university. Emmanuel sold its old site to the federal government and was used for a penitentiary. McLean died in Prince Albert in 1886 at age 57, and is buried in St. Mary’s Anglican Cemetery there.