McLaren, John, 1846-1943

John McLaren was born December 20, 1846, in Scotland, and studied at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh. He was recruited by George Howard to create a garden for his estate "El Cerrito" in San Mateo, California. McLaren came to San Francisco and began work for Howard in February 1873. McLaren married Jane Mill July 31, 1876, in San Francisco. The Board of Park Commissioners appointed McLaren Assistant Superintendent of Golden Gate Park in 1887. He held the position of Superintendent of Parks until his death on January 12, 1943.

Biographical/Historical note

John McLaren was born December 20, 1846 in Craigford, Stirlingshire, Scotland. At age five, he was enrolled in the local grammar school; he did not go on to high school. About 1857, his family moved to a farm in Muirside, property that remained in the family until 1935. McLaren's first job was at nearby Bannockburn House, working for the master gardener there starting about 1860. In March 1864, he left to work for three years at a larger estate, Blair Drummond House, near Stirling. Following this, he found employment at the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh, enrolling in the botany classes there during at least one winter and spring. He also found work at other estates: Mavisbank; Dupplin Castle, near Perth; and Gosford, in the Lothians, which was planted on what had been sand dunes.

McLaren met his future wife, Jane Mill, while studying at the Royal Botanic Garden. While in Edinburgh he was recruited by George Howard to create a garden for his six-thousand acre estate "El Cerrito" in San Mateo, California. McLaren sailed for San Francisco in January 1873, and in February McLaren began work for Howard, continuing as head gardener until 1887. During this time he also landscaped properties owned by Stanford, Mills, Ralston and other wealthy San Francisco peninsula capitalists. Jane Mill followed McLaren to California, and they were married July 31, 1876 in San Francisco. Their son, Donald, was born in 1879. He followed in his father's footsteps, managing MacRorie-McLaren Company (1910- ), landscape engineers and nursery in San Mateo. Donald died in 1925, and Jane died October 4, 1926 in San Francisco.

The Board of Park Commissioners appointed McLaren Assistant Superintendent of Golden Gate Park in 1887, and three years later he was appointed Superintendent of Parks, a position he held until his death January 12, 1943 at age 97. He was awarded the George Robert White Medal of Honor from the Massachusetts Horticultural Society (1924), elected Associate of Honour by the Royal Horticultural Society (1930), and honored by the American Institute of Park Executives (1939).

San Francisco's McLaren Park was named in his honor in 1927. While best known for his work transforming sand dunes into Golden Gate Park, McLaren also supervised the landscaping of Lincoln, Harding, and Sharp Parks, and the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition, in San Francisco, and Lithia Park in Ashland, Oregon. For a more complete biography, the best one-volume work is Tom Girvan Aikman's Boss Gardener: The Life and Times of John McLaren (San Francisco: Don’t Call It Frisco Press, 1988.)