Lawyer, civil servant.
Born on 25 November 1901, son of Edward Wilson McLean and Sadie E. Dobson, he received a BA degree from the University of Manitoba in 1923 and an LLD from the Manitoba Law School in 1926. Called to the Manitoba Bar in 1926, he practiced law in the firm of Aikins, Loftus, Aikins, Williams and Macaulay before joining the provincial civil service in 1928 where he was a legal assistant in the Department of the Attorney-General. In 1930, he was appointed legislative counsel for the Manitoba government, succeeding John Champion Collinson. He was made a King’s Counsel in January 1938.
In 1941, he moved to Toronto, Ontario where he practiced with the firm of Fennell, McLean, and Seed (1941-1961). In September 1961, he became senior partner in the law firm of McLean, Campbell, Rogers, Lyons, and Kerr, which later became McLean Kerr.
He was married twice, first on 21 September 1929 to Orlo Grace Ferguson (1903-1993) at Winnipeg with whom he had two daughters before divorcing: Judith Orlo McLean (1933-1968, wife of Samuel Giberson) and Pamela McLean (1938-2024, wife of Douglas Cohen). He later married Edythe Wilson (?-?).
He died at Toronto, Ontario on 14 May 1990 and was buried in the Park Lawn Cemetery.
Birth registration [Orlo Grace Ferguson], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
Marriage registration [Wilson Edward McLean, Orlo Grace Ferguson], Manitoba Vital Statistics.
“Six new K.C.’s,” Winnipeg Free Press, 1 January 1938, page 1.
“Woman in coma flown to Toronto,” Winnipeg Tribune, 5 July 1956, page 2.
Obituary [Judith Orlo Giberson], Winnipeg Free Press, 20 March 1968, page 36.
Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 16 May 1990, page 43.
Obituary [Orlo Grace Ferguson McLean Wright], Winnipeg Free Press, 29 April 1993, page 43.
Obituary [Pamela Cohen], Dods & McNair.
We thank Darryl Toews for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 28 May 2024
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