James A. McGee
Encyclopedia
James Aloysius McGee (May 16, 1879 - May 14, 1904) was a Canadian
athlete. He played rugby football for and was captain of the Ottawa Football Club
football team in the early 1900s. He was also an ice hockey
player for the Ottawa Silver Seven
, a member of the Silver Seven 1903–04
Stanley Cup
championship team, and a member of the Ottawa Rowing Club. After the Stanley Cup win, McGee was killed in a horseback riding accident in May 1904. His brother Frank also played ice hockey.
, Jim McGee came from a prominent Canadian family. His late uncle, Thomas D'Arcy McGee, had been a Father of Confederation. His father, John Joseph McGee
, was clerk of the Privy Council (considered the top civil servant position). He had five brothers and two sisters. His brother Frank is famous for his ice hockey exploits with the Silver Seven.
On May 9, 1904, McGee was riding a horse as part of a horse riding class. The horse threw him and McGee lapsed into a coma from which he would not recover, succumbing on May 14, 1904. His funeral service, at St. Joseph's Church on May 16, 1904, was attended by Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier
, Chief Justice Henri Elzéar Taschereau
, the Ottawa Hockey Club, Ottawa Football Club and Ottawa Rowing Club. The cortege was estimated at a half-mile in length. He was interred at Ottawa's Notre Dame Cemetery.
(CAHL) intermediate division for both the Ottawa Aberdeens and the Ottawa Hockey Club 'Seconds'. Although he played for the senior Ottawa Hockey Club as early as 1900, he only fully made the club in 1903-04. The club had already won the Stanley Cup when McGee joined. McGee played in the CAHL regular season and in the Stanley Cup challenges held in 1904 against the Montreal Wanderers
and Brandon Wheat Cities
.
McGee also played rugby football for the Ottawa Football Club. When he died, McGee was captain of the club and had played for the club for five seasons.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
athlete. He played rugby football for and was captain of the Ottawa Football Club
Ottawa Rough Riders
The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...
football team in the early 1900s. He was also an ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
player for the Ottawa Silver Seven
Ottawa Senators (original)
The Ottawa Senators were an amateur, and later, professional, ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Canada which existed from 1883 to 1954. The club was the first hockey club in Ontario, a founding member of the National Hockey League and played in the NHL from 1917 until 1934...
, a member of the Silver Seven 1903–04
1904 CAHL season
The 1904 Canadian Amateur Hockey League season lasted from January 2 until February 24. Teams played an eight game schedule. This was a tumultuous year as Ottawa resigned in February and defaulted four games....
Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
championship team, and a member of the Ottawa Rowing Club. After the Stanley Cup win, McGee was killed in a horseback riding accident in May 1904. His brother Frank also played ice hockey.
Personal life
Born in OttawaOttawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Jim McGee came from a prominent Canadian family. His late uncle, Thomas D'Arcy McGee, had been a Father of Confederation. His father, John Joseph McGee
John Joseph McGee
John Joseph McGee was Clerk of the Privy Council of Canada from May 20, 1882 to May 5, 1907 and is the longest-serving occupant of the position....
, was clerk of the Privy Council (considered the top civil servant position). He had five brothers and two sisters. His brother Frank is famous for his ice hockey exploits with the Silver Seven.
On May 9, 1904, McGee was riding a horse as part of a horse riding class. The horse threw him and McGee lapsed into a coma from which he would not recover, succumbing on May 14, 1904. His funeral service, at St. Joseph's Church on May 16, 1904, was attended by Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Wilfrid Laurier, GCMG, PC, KC, baptized Henri-Charles-Wilfrid Laurier was the seventh Prime Minister of Canada from 11 July 1896 to 6 October 1911....
, Chief Justice Henri Elzéar Taschereau
Henri Elzéar Taschereau
Sir Henri-Elzéar Taschereau, PC was a Canadian jurist and Chief Justice of Canada.He was born in his family's seigneurial manor house at Sainte-Marie-de-la-Beauce, Lower Canada to Pierre-Elzéar Taschereau and Catherine Hénédine Dionne. Tashereau attended the Université Laval and was called to the...
, the Ottawa Hockey Club, Ottawa Football Club and Ottawa Rowing Club. The cortege was estimated at a half-mile in length. He was interred at Ottawa's Notre Dame Cemetery.
Playing career
McGee played in the Canadian Amateur Hockey LeagueCanadian Amateur Hockey League
The Canadian Amateur Hockey League was an early men's amateur hockey league founded in 1898, replacing the organization that was formerly the Amateur Hockey Association of Canada before the 1898–99 season. The league existed for seven seasons, folding in 1905 and was itself replaced by the Eastern...
(CAHL) intermediate division for both the Ottawa Aberdeens and the Ottawa Hockey Club 'Seconds'. Although he played for the senior Ottawa Hockey Club as early as 1900, he only fully made the club in 1903-04. The club had already won the Stanley Cup when McGee joined. McGee played in the CAHL regular season and in the Stanley Cup challenges held in 1904 against the Montreal Wanderers
Montreal Wanderers
The Montreal Wanderers were a Canadian amateur, and later becoming a professional men's ice hockey team. The team played in the Federal Amateur Hockey League , the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association , the National Hockey Association and briefly the National Hockey League . The Wanderers are...
and Brandon Wheat Cities
Brandon Wheat Cities
The Brandon Wheat Cities was an early senior-level elite amateur ice hockey team that played from 1903 to 1923. It was based in Brandon, Manitoba and played in the Manitoba & Northwestern Hockey Association, followed by the Manitoba Hockey Association and the early Manitoba Hockey League.The team...
.
McGee also played rugby football for the Ottawa Football Club. When he died, McGee was captain of the club and had played for the club for five seasons.