Draft:Cecil Alexander Rutherford

• Comment: Please redirect to the father's article, there is nothing here to call notablity. Safari Scribe^{Edits! Talk!} 05:20, 9 January 2025 (UTC)

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Cecil Alexander Rutherford KC (October 4, 1890 – October 22, 1957) was a prominent Canadian lawyer in Edmonton, Alberta and the son of Alberta’s first Premier Alexander Cameron Rutherford.

Early Life and Education

Cecil Alexander Rutherford KC
Cecil Rutherford, 1940
Born	October 4, 1890 Kemptville, Ontario
Died	October 22, 1957 Edmonton, Alberta
Buried	Mount Pleasant Cemetery
Allegiance	British Army
Service / branch	Royal Garrison Artillery
Years of service	1917-1919
Rank	Second Lieutenant
Unit	248th Siege Battalion, 17th Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery
Spouse(s)	Helen (Martin) Rutherford
Children	Margaret Rutherford

Rutherford was born on 4 October 1890 to Alexander Cameron Rutherford and Mattie (nee Birkett) Rutherford in Kemptville, Ontario. In June 1895, Rutherford relocated with his family to South Edmonton, Northwest Territories (renamed Strathcona in 1899). He received his primary education at schools in Strathcona, before enrolling at Woodstock College, in Woodstock, Ontario in 1905.

During his time at Woodstock, Cecil joined the college’s ice hockey team, playing the position of center. In 1907-1908, he also served as the team’s secretary. Upon his graduation from Woodstock, Cecil enrolled as part of the first class of students at the University of Alberta. He had intended to enroll at McGill University like his father, but Rutherford insisted that his son attend the University of Alberta.

An active student, Rutherford involved himself with several student groups. During his first term at the University of Alberta, he joined the University of Alberta Students' Union. The same year, he helped found the University of Alberta Athletic Association and served as the organization’s first president. In this capacity, he oversaw the organization of sporting events and outings for students. In 1912, Rutherford enrolled in the newly created law program at the University of Alberta and began articling at his father’s law firm, Rutherford, Jamieson, and Grant.

Military Service

On 2 December 1914, Rutherford joined the Special Reserve of Officers and received training as a member of the militia in Edmonton. On 12 February 1917, Rutherford, with the assistance of his father, received a commission in heavy artillery as a Second Lieutenant with the 78th Overseas Depot Battery stationed in Lethbridge, Alberta. On 7 March 1917, he left Edmonton for Valcartier, Quebec where he was to take a month-long training course in artillery. Upon completion, he was sent to England for additional training.

On 2 July 1917, following his arrival in England, Rutherford was formally transferred from the 78th Overseas Depot Battery to the 248th Siege Battalion, Royal Garrison Artillery, British Expeditionary Force. He attended the Royal Artillery Officers' Cadet College in Trowbridge, England, for three months, receiving his commission as a Second Lieutenant with the RGA on December 2, 1917. On January 13, 1918, Cecil began active service in France. During his service, he was injured twice, first being gassed in April 1918 and being hit by shrapnel the following month. Upon recovery, he rejoined the 248^th Siege Battalion for the remainder of the war and was formally demobilized on February 11, 1919.

Personal and Professional Life

After the war, Rutherford returned home to Edmonton to continue his legal studies. On 15 April 1919, Rutherford was called to the Alberta bar. In 1923 he was made a full partner of his father’s firm, alongside his brother-in-law, Stanley Harwood McCuaig. In recognition of his legal expertise and experience, he was named a King's Counsel in 1940.

Cecil Rutherford and Jellicoe, 1920

In May 1916, Rutherford became engaged to Helen Martin, the daughter of a prominent Strathcona family. The two married on 5 June 1916, at a ceremony held at the Martin residence. The couple left for their honeymoon the following day for a tour of New York and the east coast of the United States where they travelled for seven weeks before returning to Edmonton on July 24, 1916. On 6 April 1926, Helen gave birth to the couple’s only child, a daughter named Margaret.

In his later life, Rutherford maintained an abiding interest in sport. In December 1920, Rutherford, alongside his father Alexander, became charter members of the Royal Mayfair Golf Club. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Rutherford served on the Mayfair’s board and served as the club’s president in 1927. During his term as president, Rutherford hosted the Prince of Wales, Edward VIII and Prince George for a dinner and round of golf at the Mayfair during the royals’ visit to Edmonton.

Rutherford House 1912

During the 1930s and 1940s, Rutherford served as a trustee for the Edmonton branch of the Army and Navy Veterans of Canada. He was elected honorary president of the organization in 1945, 1947, and 1948, and ran unsuccessfully for the position of president in 1946.

In 1940, Cecil Rutherford orchestrated the sale of Rutherford House, his father’s home, to the Delta Upsilon fraternity. The home is now a museum and provincial historic site.

Death

On 22 October 1957, Rutherford passed away at the age of 66 after a long illness. He is buried in the Mount Pleasant Cemetery alongside his father Alexander, mother Mattie (nee Birkett), and wife Helen.