View source for James Howden MacBrien

{{Short description|Canadian Army general officer (1878–1938)}}
{{Infobox military person
| name          = Sir James MacBrien
| image         = James Howden MacBrien.jpg
| caption       = Sir James MacBrien
| rank          = [[Major-General]]
| branch        = [[Canadian Militia]]
| commands      = [[Commander of the Canadian Army|Chief of the General Staff]]
| battles       = [[Second Boer War]]<br>[[World War I]]
| family        = 
| nickname      = 
| allegiance    = [[Canada]]
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1878|06|30|df=y}}
| death_date    = {{death date and age|1938|03|05|1878|06|30|df=y}}
| birth_place   = near [[Myrtle, Ontario]]
| death_place   = [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]]
| placeofburial = [[Beechwood Cemetery]], [[Ottawa, Ontario]]
| serviceyears  = 
| laterwork     = 
| awards        = [[Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath]]<br>[[Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George]]<br>[[Distinguished Service Order]]<br>[[Venerable Order of Saint John|Order of St. John]]
}}
[[Major General]] '''Sir James Howden MacBrien''' {{postnominals|country=GBR|KCB|CMG|DSO|CStJ}} (30 June 1878 – 5 March 1938) was a [[Canadians|Canadian]] soldier and [[Commander of the Canadian Army|Chief of the General Staff]], the head of the [[Canadian Militia]] (renamed the [[Canadian Army]] in 1940) from 1920 until 1927.

==Military career==
[[File:The people's war book; history, cyclopaedia and chronology of the great world war (1919) (14595271860) (cropped).jpg|thumb|left|Lieutenant General [[Arthur Currie|Sir Arthur Currie]] with [[Prince Arthur of Connaught|H. R. H. Prince Arthur of Connaught]] and other senior officers. Brigadier General J. H. MacBrien is stood in the second row, fifth from the left, directly behind Currie.]]

Educated in [[Port Perry, Ontario|Port Perry]] ([[Port Perry High School]]),<ref name=perry>{{Cite web |url=http://www.scugogheritage.com/misc/pioneers_m_to_p.htm |title=Port Perry / Scugog Township Heritage Gallery |access-date=2010-04-10 |archive-date=2019-02-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201013530/http://www.scugogheritage.com/misc/pioneers_m_to_p.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> MacBrien initially joined the [[Canadian Militia]] with the [[34th Ontario Regiment]] but then transferred to the [[North-West Mounted Police]] and, during the [[Second Boer War]], to the [[South African Constabulary]].<ref name="perry" /><ref name=can>{{cite encyclopedia |last=McAndrew |first=William J. |title=James Howden MacBrien |encyclopedia=[[The Canadian Encyclopedia]] |date=7 October 2014 |publisher=[[Historica Canada]] |edition=online |url= https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/james-howden-macbrien}}</ref> Returning to Canada he was [[Commissioned officer|commissioned]] into the [[Royal Canadian Dragoons]].<ref name=perry/>

He also served in [[World War I]] as a [[general staff officer]] and then, from 1916, as [[commanding officer]] of [[12th Infantry Brigade (Canada)|12th Infantry Brigade]].<ref name=can/> He was promoted to brevet lieutenant colonel in January 1917.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=29886|page=18|date=29 December 1916|supp=y}}</ref>

After the war he was appointed [[Commander of the Canadian Army|Chief of the General Staff]].<ref name=can/>

He also served as the eighth [[Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police]], from August 1, 1931 to March 5, 1938.<ref name=perry/> MacBrien died in [[Toronto]].

==Family==
In 1907 he married Nellie Louise Ross and in 1928 he married Emily Emely Hartridge.<ref name=perry/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{cite book|first1=Frank|last1=Davies|first2=Graham|last2=Maddocks|title=Bloody Red Tabs: General Officer Casualties of the Great War 1914–1918|publisher=[[Pen and Sword Books]]|year=2014|orig-year=1995|isbn=978-1-78346-237-7}}

==External links==
*{{Find a Grave}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-mil}}
{{succession box|title=[[Commander of the Canadian Army|Chief of the General Staff]]|
                 before=[[Sir Willoughby Gwatkin]]|
                 after=[[Herbert Cyril Thacker]]|
                 years=1920–1927}}
{{s-civ|pol}}
{{succession box|title=[[Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police]]|
                 before=[[Cortlandt Starnes]]|
                 after=[[Stuart Wood (police commissioner)|Stuart Wood]]|
                 years=1931–1938}}
{{s-end}}

{{Commander of the Canadian Army}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacBrien, James Howden}}
[[Category:1878 births]]
[[Category:1938 deaths]]
[[Category:Canadian generals of World War I]]
[[Category:Canadian Expeditionary Force officers]]
[[Category:Commanders of the Order of St John]]
[[Category:Canadian Companions of the Distinguished Service Order]]
[[Category:Canadian Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:Canadian Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath]]
[[Category:People from Scugog]]
[[Category:Canadian military personnel from Ontario]]
[[Category:Royal Canadian Mounted Police commissioners]]
[[Category:Royal Canadian Dragoons officers]]
[[Category:19th-century Canadian military personnel]]

{{Canada-mil-bio-stub}}
[[Category:Canadian Militia officers]]