Inscription
The Inventor / L'inventeur
— 1871-1952 —
Edward R. McDonald was born in Pointe-du-Chêne, New Brunswick, in 1871. He was the son of Captain William McDonald and Catherine Costello McDonald. He was married to Miss Annie Gertrude Ryan and was the father of four children, Gertrude Capreol, Dorothy (Bie) McLellan, Ronald McDonald and Elizabeth Carvell.
He began to study law in the office of James McQueen (King's Counsel) in Shediac, N.B. Following his apprenticeship, he was admitted to the Bar of New Brunswick. McDonald long enjoyed a province-wide reputation in New Brunswick as a lawyer, being regarded as among the ablest appearing in criminal and civil courts. During his career, he acquired knowledge in all other branches of the law. His practice embraced all the courts from the lowest to the highest. During the 1930s he was appointed a King's Counsel.
Mr. McDonald had a keen interest in public affairs; he served his fellow citizens of Shediac as alderman on the Town Council until 1908 and was then appointed Mayor for three terms (1908-1911, 1915-1916, 1926-1929). During his first term in office, the wharf in Pointe-du-Chêne was built
in 1910-1911. In addition, he served as Councillor for Shediac Parish on the Westmorland Municipality Council for 16 years. Then in 1935 he was elected as a Liberal member to the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly for Westmorland County, serving until 1939.
In 1925, McDonald invented a board game called Crossword Game that predates the first version of the Scrabble Word Game by twelve years. The wood tile game featuring letters of the alphabet with point value was played on a checker board. He hired the patent agency Fetherstonhaugh & Co. of Toronto to prepare the patent submissions. His Crossword Game was granted a US patent, number 1591639, on July 6, 1926, and a Canadian patent, number CA266459, on December 7, 1926.
He was one of the first persons in the province of New Brunswick and the first resident of Shediac, N.B. to own and operate an automobile. He purchased his first vehicle in 1903, a sports model McLaughlin Buick, sporting licence plate #111. Besides his passion for cars, he enjoyed yachting and he was an enthusiastic member of Shediac Bay Yacht Club.
Edward R. McDonald died on Saturday February 16, 1952 at his home in Shediac, of general arteriosclerosis. He is buried in the parish cemetery in Shediac.
Edward R. McDonald est né à Pointe-du-Chêne, au Nouveau-Brunswick,
en 1871. Il était le fils de Capitaine William McDonald et de Catherine Costello McDonald. Il était marié à Mlle Annie Gertrude Ryan, et ils ont eu quatre enfants : Gertrude Capreol, Dorothy (Bie) McLellan, Ronald McDonald et Elizabeth Carvell.
Il a entrepris des études de droit dans le cabinet de James McQueen (Conseil du roi) à Shediac, au N.-B. À la suite de sa formation d'apprenti, il a été admis au Barreau du Nouveau-Brunswick. Pendant longtemps, M. McDonald a joui d'une réputation d'avocat à la grandeur de la province du Nouveau-Brunswick; on le considérait parmi les avocats les plus doués dans les tribunaux criminels et civils. Au cours de sa carrière, il a acquis des connaissances dans toutes les autres branches du droit. Sa pratique englobait tous les tribunaux, des degrés de juridiction les moins élevés aux degrés de juridiction les plus élevés. Pendant les années 1930, il a été nommé conseiller du roi.
M. McDonald avait un grand intérêt pour les affaires publiques; il a servi ses concitoyens de Shediac en tant que membre du Conseil municipal jusqu'en 1908. Par la suite, il a été nommé au poste de maire, poste qu'il occupa pour trois mandats (1908-1911, 1915-1916, 1926-1929). En 1910-1911, pendant son premier mandat, le quai à Pointe-du-Chêne a été construit. Il a aussi exercé les fonctions de conseiller de la paroisse de Shediac au sein du Conseil
municipal de Westmorland pendant 16 ans. Ensuite, en 1935, il a été élu en tant que membre du Parti libéral au sein de l'Assemblée législative du Nouveau-Brunswick pour le comté de Westmorland, poste qu'il occupa jusqu'en 1939.
M. McDonald a inventé un jeu appelé « Crossword Game » en 1925, soit 12 ans avant celui de la première version du jeu « Scrabble Word Game ». Le jeu, composé de tuiles de lettres en bois ayant une valeur numérique, se jouait sur un damier. M. McDonald a retenu les services du cabinet de brevets Fetherstonhaugh & Co de Toronto pour préparer les demandes de brevets. Son jeu « Crossword Game » a obtenu un brevet américain, numéro de brevet 1591639, le 6 juillet 1926, et un brevet canadien, numéro de brevet CA266459, le 7 décembre 1926.
Il figurait parmi les premières personnes au Nouveau-Brunswick et le premier résident de Shediac à posséder et opérer une voiture. Il se procura cette première voiture en 1903, un modèle sport McLaughlin Buick avec la plaque d'immatriculation 111. Outre sa passion pour les voitures, il aimait s'adonner à la navigation de plaisance et il était un membre enthousiaste du Club de yacht de la baie de Shediac.
Edward R. McDonald est décédé le samedi 16 février 1952 à son domicile, à Shediac, des suites d'une artériosclérose générale. Il est enterré au cimetière de la paroisse de Shediac.
Details
| HM Number | HM2MNL |
|---|---|
| Tags | |
| Placed By | Town of Shediac / Ville de Shediac |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Tuesday, November 5th, 2019 at 7:01pm PST -08:00 |
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| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 20T E 379994 N 5119490 |
|---|---|
| Decimal Degrees | 46.21840000, -64.55595000 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 46° 13.104', W 64° 33.357' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 46° 13' 6.24" N, 64° 33' 21.42" W |
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| Which side of the road? | Marker is on the right when traveling East |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near , , |
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