Department of Iowa Commemorates Their First Adjutant, John MacVicar

John MacVicar was the sitting Mayor of Des Moines when he went off to war as a 58 year old politician.

The First Adjutant for The American Legion, Department of Iowa was John MacVicar.  He held the post for one year, 1919-1920, and is Iowa’s only one-year adjutant.

Those of us busy in the day to day business of The American Legion realize that commanders come and go, but the majority of the work load goes onto the adjutant.  If that were all we had to recognize John MacVicar, it would be enough, but there is so much more.

John MacVicar (July 4, 1859–November 15, 1928) was a progressive mayor of Des Moines.  He was born in Galt, Ontario. His parents, John and Mary (McEwan) MacVicar, were natives of Scotland. The family eventually settled in Erie, Pennsylvania, where MacVicar went to school and later worked for a mercantile house. In 1882 MacVicar moved to Des Moines.  John soon developed an interest in local politics and was elected town recorder of North Des Moines in 1888 and a year later became mayor. In the 1890s North Des Moines was annexed to the city of Des Moines. MacVicar was first elected mayor of Des Moines in 1896. Often touted as the "people's mayor," he was reelected in 1898, 1900, and 1928. He later served on the city council.  In 1916 MacVicar was one of thousands of businessmen and community leaders who volunteered for a six-week civilian military training program held at the Plattsburg Training Camp in New York. After the United States declared war on Germany in April 1917, MacVicar, at the age of 58, was assigned to active duty as an assistant to the quartermaster at Fort Douglas, Utah on May 8, 1917.  He was mayor of Des Moines when war was declared. After the city was designated as the site of Camp Dodge, with thousands of recruits coming from all over the Middle West, and with other extraordinary problems confronting the city government, it was necessary for the welfare of the community that the mayor should be at hand. At the request of the Citizens Committee he returned to complete his term and at the same time perform his military duties. In handling the problems of wartime conditions Mr. MacVicar earned the lasting gratitude of the people of the city and the state at large. At the expiration of his term of office he was assigned to military duty at Fort Sam Houston, where he remained until after the armistice, being honorably discharged March 6, 1919.  At the time of his death, he was serving as mayor of the City of Des Moines. At different times over a period of thirty years having acted in a similar capacity, his long experience made him an authority on municipal government, and he was so recognized not only in Iowa but over the nation. He was active in Des Moines politics for over forty years, and his time and energies were generously given to the community, frequently at the sacrifice of important personal business interests.

MacVicar's son, John Jr. (1891-1950), followed his father into municipal politics. He served as mayor from 1942 to 1948 and was a longtime street superintendent. Together, the father and son held municipal offices, at intervals, over a period of more than 50 years. In 1963 the Des Moines City Council unofficially named I-235 through Des Moines the John MacVicar Freeway to honor the contributions of father and son.

http://www.legiontown.org/centennial/5864/department-iowa-commemorates-i...