Fonds F3383 - John Bruce Hunter fonds

John Bruce Hunter (1881-1972) was a Methodist/United Church minister and military chaplain. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario. He received a B.A. from the University of Toronto, a B.D. at Victoria College, a D.D. from Emmanuel College and the degree of LL.D. from University of Western Ontario. He became a probationer in 1903, serving at Central Church in Calgary from 1911-1912. He was ordained by Hamilton Conference in 1911, and received into full connection by Toronto Conference in 1913. He married Harriet (Hattie) Pringle in 1912. His first pastorate was at Grace Church in Brampton where he served from 1913-1917, when he was appointed Chaplain in the Armed Services and attached to the 85th Nova Scotia Highlanders. For distinguished service in World War I he was awarded the Military Cross. After the War, he served at Central Methodist in Toronto from 1919-1923, First Methodist and Metropolitan Churches in London (1923-1925, 1925-1934), Canadian Memorial in Vancouver from 1934-1935 and St. James in Montreal from 1935-1942. While at St. James in 1942, he was promoted to the rank of major and Senior Chaplain for the Montreal District, and resigned from his pulpit to serve in WWII. He retired from the Chaplaincy with the rank of Hon. Lieutenant Colonel in 1944 and returned to the pastorate. In June, 1953 he retired as Senior Minister of St. Andrew’s Church, Toronto, a church he had helped bring into being as a union of Westminster-Central and Old St. Andrew’s. Harriet died in 1970, and Bruce in 1972. They had two children, Margaret and Angus.