{{Short description|Canadian politician, coach, and administrator (1925–1991)}} {{Use Canadian English|date=September 2021}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}} {{Short description|Canadian politician}} {{Use Canadian English|date=January 2023}} {{Infobox officeholder | name=Gus MacFarlane | image= | image_size= | caption= | birth_date={{birth date|1925|2|19}} | birth_place=Montreal, Quebec, Canada | death_date={{death date and age|1991|2|22|1925|2|19}} | death_place=Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada | constituency_MP=Hamilton Mountain | parliament=Canadian | term_start=1974 | term_end=1979 | predecessor=Duncan Beattie | successor=Duncan Beattie | party=Liberal | alma_mater = McGill University | module = {{Infobox college coach | embed=yes | coach_sport1 = Football | coach_years1 = 1950 | coach_team1 = Verdun Pats | coach_years2 = 1951–1952 | coach_team2 = Verdun Shamcats | coach_years3 = 1953–1956 | coach_team3 = Verdun HS (PQ) | coach_years4 = 1957–1970 | coach_team4 = Mount Allison | admin_years1 = 1963–1971 | admin_team1 = Mount Allison }} }} '''Angus''' "'''Gus'''" '''MacFarlane''' (February 19, 1925 – February 22, 1991) was a Canadian politician the Liberal MP for Hamilton Mountain from 1974 to 1979. He served as Chief Government Whip from 1977 to 1978. Prior to entering politics, MacFarlane was an coach and administrator, most notably at Mount Allison University.
==Early life== MacFarlane was born in Montreal, Quebec on February 19, 1925 to Scottish immigrants Duncan and Katherine (McChristies) MacFarlane. He served as a flying officer in the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. He graduated from McGill University and worked as a teacher in Verdun, Quebec from 1950 to 1957.<ref name="Who's Who">{{cite book |title=Who's Who in Canada |date=1973 |publisher=International Press |pages=659-660 |url=https://archive.org/details/whoswhoincanada0062unse/page/658/mode/2up?q |access-date=30 November 2025}}</ref>
==Athletics== In 1950, MacFarlane led the Verdun Pats to Quebec Rugby Football Union junior title. The following season, five of Verdun's junior teams merged to form the Verdun Shamcats and MacFarlane was chosen to serve as coach of the new team.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gray |first1=Bill |title=Tomorrow's Stars |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=0jArAAAAIBAJ&sjid=fpkFAAAAIBAJ&dq=sham%20verdun&pg=6752%2C564976 |access-date=30 November 2025 |work=The Montreal Gazette |date=August 4, 1951}}</ref> He left the Shamcats in 1953 to become a teacher and coach at Verdun High School.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ewart Jones Named Coach of Sham-Cats in Junior Q.R.F.U. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J38tAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA17&dq&article_id=5421,4533045&hl=en |access-date=30 November 2025 |work=The Montreal Gazette |date=June 24, 1953}}</ref>
In 1957, MacFarlane became the head football and basketball coach at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick. He recruited a number of football players from Montreal.<ref>{{cite news |title=Several School All-Stars Leave For Mt. Allison |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=q5gtAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA29&dq=&article_id=4464,2344109&hl=en |access-date=30 November 2025 |work=The Montreal Gazette |date=September 13, 1957}}</ref> His teams were competitive despited the school's small size. One of his players, Rick Black, was the first player from a Maritime university to be selected in the Canadian college draft.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gus MacFarlane was coach, MP |work=The Montreal Gazette |date=February 28, 1991}}</ref> In 1963, he became the school's director of physical education and athletics.<ref name="Who's Who" /> In 1969, he was named manager of the Canada men's national basketball team.<ref>{{cite news |title=World of sports in brief |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7TVgAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA17&dq&article_id=6108,1175199&hl=en |access-date=30 November 2025 |work=The Phoenix |date=January 10, 1969}}</ref> He resigned both jobs in 1971 to become the resource assistant at the Administrative Center for Sport and Recreation in Ottawa.<ref>{{cite news |title=New assistant at sport centre |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZLkyAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA5&dq=&article_id=1085,2947059&hl=en |access-date=30 November 2025 |work=Ottawa Citizen |date=March 25, 1971}}</ref> In this role, MacFarlane assisted amateur sports organization with fundrasing.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ferguson |first1=Bob |title=MacFarlane a ways and means man |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZbkyAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA61&dq=&article_id=929,4528163&hl=en |access-date=30 November 2025 |work=Ottawa Citizen |date=March 29, 1971}}</ref>
==Politics== From 1968 to 1970, MacFarlane was president of the Westmorland—Kent Liberal Association. In 1972, he moved to Hamilton, Ontario to become the dean of men at McMaster University. He became involved with the Liberal Party in that city and served on the Hamilton Liberal Association's policy committee.<ref name="Who's Who" />
In 1974, MacFarlane ran for the House of Commons of Canada in the Hamilton Mountain riding. He beat Progressive Conservative incumbent Duncan Beattie 22,253 votes to 17,922.<ref>{{cite web |title=1974 Federal Election |url=https://canadianelectionsdatabase.ca/PHASE5/?p=0&type=election&ID=606#page_1=ontario&page_2=constituency_2428 |website=Canadian Elections Database |publisher=University of Calgary |access-date=30 November 2025}}</ref> On January 21, 1977, he was appointed chief government whip in the House of Commons by Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.<ref>{{cite news |title=...in the news |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nZwuAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA2&dq=&article_id=5486,4393364&hl=en |access-date=30 November 2025 |work=The Montreal Gazette |date=January 22, 1977}}</ref> He was replaced by Cliff McIsaac in October 1978 and reassisgned to the role of parliamentary secretary to Minister of State (Federal-Provincial Relations) Marc Lalonde.<ref>{{cite news |title=People in News |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=V5ZjAAAAIBAJ&pg=PA10&dq&article_id=5277,1539247&hl=en |access-date=30 November 2025 |work=The Phoenix |date=October 6, 1978}}</ref>
MacFarlane was defeated for reelection to the House of Commons in 1979, losing to Beattie 21,348 votes to 17,334.<ref>{{cite web |title=1979 Federal Election |url=https://canadianelectionsdatabase.ca/PHASE5/?p=0&type=election&ID=607#page_1=ontario&page_2=constituency_2428 |website=Canadian Elections Database |publisher=University of Calgary |access-date=30 November 2025}}</ref> He ran again in the 1980 Canadian federal election and finished third behind NDP candidate Ian Deans and Beattie.<ref>{{cite web |title=1980 Federal Election |url=https://canadianelectionsdatabase.ca/PHASE5/?p=0&type=election&ID=608#page_1=ontario&page_2=constituency_2428 |website=Canadian Elections Database |publisher=University of Calgary |access-date=30 November 2025}}</ref>
==Later life== In 1980, MacFarlane was appointed to the War Veterans Allowance Board.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ex-MPs get Ottawa jobs |work=The Globe and Mail |date=December 4, 1980}}</ref> He spent his later years working with the Department of Veterans Affairs in Charlottetown. He died there on February 22, 1991.<ref>{{cite news |title=Angus MacFarlane, 66, active in sports, politics |work=Kitchener - Waterloo Record |date=February 28, 1991}}</ref>
== References == {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Canadian Parliament links|ID=11639}}
{{Mount Allison Mounties athletic director navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macfarlane, Gus}} Category:1925 births Category:1991 deaths Category:20th-century members of the House of Commons of Canada Category:Anglophone Quebec people Category:Liberal Party of Canada MPs Category:Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Category:Mount Allison Mounties athletic directors Category:Politicians from Montreal Category:Royal Canadian Air Force personnel of World War II Category:McGill University alumni Category:Canadian sportsperson-politicians Category:Mount Allison Mounties football coaches