The University of Iowa Libraries

John MacVicar was born on July 4, 1859 in Galt, Ontario, Canada. His parents, John and Mary (McEwan) MacVicar had emigrated from Scotland seven years before and eventually settled in Erie, Pennsylvania. MacVicar went to school and soon began working for a mercantile house in Erie. In 1882 MacVicar moved to Des Moines, Iowa, to manage the wallpaper department of Redhead, Norton, Lathrop & Co. On June 14, 1884 MacVicar married Nettie Nash and the couple had four children: Mary, Marjorie, John, and Dorothy. By 1893 he had opened his own wallpaper business, John MacVicar Co. He developed an interest in local politics, serving as town clerk, being elected as mayor in 1896, and later serving on the city council. A proponent of the commission form of city government, while he was mayor Des Moines became the first city of its size to adopt the idea. He served as mayor 1896-1898, 1898-1900, 1916-1918, and again in 1928. Becoming something of an expert on municipal government, MacVicar wrote extensively on the topic for magazines. He lived and worked in Des Moines until his death on November 15, 1928 while serving his fourth term as mayor.
 
Information taken from a letter from Nettie (Nash) MacVicar to James T. White Co. (The National Cyclopedia of American Biography).

Alternate Extent Statement: Photographs: Box 1

Access: This collection is open for research.

Use: Copyright restrictions may apply; please consult Special Collections staff for further information.

Acquisition: These papers were given to the University of Iowa Libraries in 1959 by Marjorie Macomber, Marjorie Sheehan, and Iva Ethel Walker. It was collected by George Sheets, and was a part of the Sheets collection until 2005, when that collection was broken into various collections.

Preferred Citation: John MacVicar Papers, The University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City, Iowa.

This collection is indexed under the following subject terms.