Donald McGillivray was a farmer, merchant and political figure in British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

. He represented New Westminster in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

Legislative Assembly of British Columbia

The Legislative Assembly of British Columbia is one of two components of the Parliament of British Columbia, the provincial parliament ....

 from 1878 to 1882.

He was born in Glengarry County, Ontario

Glengarry County, Ontario

thumb|right|Glengarry located within OntarioGlengarry County , an area covering , is a county in the Canadian province of Ontario, and is historically known for its settlement of Scottish Highlanders due to the Highland Clearances.Glengarry was founded in 1792 by Scottish loyalists, mainly from...

, the son of John McGillivray and Catherine Urquhart, was educated there and then moved with his family to New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

. In 1860, McGillivray came to British Columbia and worked for a time at the Puget Mill company in Port Gamble, Washington

Port Gamble, Washington

Port Gamble is an unincorporated community on the northwestern shore of the Kitsap Peninsula in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. It is also a small, similarly named bay, along which the community lies, near the entrance to Hood Canal. The unincorporated communities of Port Gamble and...

. Around 1863, he operated a pack train in the Cariboo District

Cariboo District

Cariboo District was a federal electoral district in British Columbia, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1871 to 1872....

. McGillivray then sold his operation to the Western Union Telegraph Company

Western Union

The Western Union Company is a financial services and communications company based in the United States. Its North American headquarters is in Englewood, Colorado. Up until 2006, Western Union was the best-known U.S...

. After that he was involved in farming, dairy and raising livestock, as well as operating as a general merchant in Chilliwack

Chilliwack, British Columbia

Chilliwack is a Canadian city in the Province of British Columbia. It is a predominantly agricultural community with an estimated population of 80,000 people. Chilliwack is the second largest city in the Fraser Valley Regional District after Abbotsford. The city is surrounded by mountains and...

, until 1903 when he retired to Chillowack.. In 1889, McGillivray was named postmaster for Sumas

Sumas, British Columbia

Sumas was a district municipality in the Fraser Valley region of British Columbia, Canada, located between the then-Village of Abbotsford and Chilliwack . It was amalgamated with the Village of Abbotsford in 1972 into the City of Abbotsford....

. He was also a lay preacher in the Methodist

Methodism

Methodism is a movement of Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations, claiming a total of approximately seventy million adherents worldwide. The movement traces its roots to John Wesley's evangelistic revival movement within Anglicanism. His younger brother...

 church. He served as a magistrate and justice of the peace

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

for New Westminster district. McGillivray was married twice: first to Susan Hall in 1868 and then to Julia Andrews in 1881. He died in Chilliwack at the age of 75.