Volume III - ElectricCanadian.com

22STONJOHN PALMER-ROBERT-SON, Librarian ofthe Provincial Legislatureof Manitoba, was born atFortingal, Perthshire, Scotland,May 23rd, 1841. Hecame to Canada with hisparents in 1845, and settledat Bytown, afterwards thecity of Ottawa. He waseducated at the public andHigh schools, Ottawa, andis a graduate of the NormalSchool, Toronto. Mr. Robertsontaught school for fifteenyears, and assisted inthe introduction of the Centralschool system into Ottawa.After retiring fromthe profession, he was amember of the Board ofPublic School Trustees ofthat city for several years,and took an active part insecuring the Normal andModel schools for Ottawa.He was also, for a numberof years, an alderman at theCity Council Board. Mr.Robertson was a student atlaw for three years, havingmatriculated at Osgoode Hall, Toronto,in 1867, but abandoned the legal professionto enter the journalistic field.He was first attached to the editorialstaff of the Ottawa Times, from 1873 to1878, and subsequently went to Manitoba,in 1879, where he took a positionon the staff of the Winnipeg Times,remaining thereon for three years. Henext accepted a position on the ManitobaFree Press, which he held untilappointed Provincial Librarian, on theist of July, 1884. Mr. Robertson isthe author of a useful and interestinghandbook, entitled " Political Manual:of Manitoba and the North-West Territories."Since removing to Manitoba,Mr. Robertson has acted as agent of theCanadian Associated Press, and wascorrespondent for several leading Canadianand American newspapers. Hehas been president of St. Andrew'sSociety, Winnipeg, and was identifiedwith the introduction of the Order ofScottish Clans in the North-West, ofwhich he is a Deputy Royal Chief.Mr. Robertson was married, July i5th,1869, to Jessie, third daughter of thelate William Graham, of Ottawa, bywhom he has three sons and threedaughters. The Provincial Library hasnow some 10,000 volumes in its shelves.