Hunter, David Henry

HUNTER, David Henry (1877-1949) devoted nearly forty years of his career serving as a senior staff architect with the federal Dept. of Public Works in Ottawa. Born in London, he articled in Glasgow with James Ritchie (in 1894-98) while studying architecture at the Glasgow School of Art, and at the Glasgow & West of Scotland Technical College. In 1898-1900 he worked as assistant in the Glasgow office of Burnet & Boston, then moved to Brighton, England where he was employed in the Architect’s Dept. of City Corporation of Brighton from 1900 to 1903. Hunter then moved to Swindon to hold a similar post with the City Architect’s Dept. there, then moved to London to work in the Office of Works of the Admiralty in Whitehall (in 1905-07). He returned to Glasgow in 1907 and served as chief assistant to Neil C. Duff in 1907-10. He was elected as a member of the Royal Inst. of British Architects in July 1910.
In late 1910, at the age of 33 years, Hunter decided to move to Canada. He arrived in early 1911 and settled in Montreal, Que. where he obtained a position in the Architectural Division of the Canadian Pacific Railway. Within months, however, he decided to move to Ottawa to join the staff of the Chief Architect’s Branch, working under the direct supervision of the chief architect David Ewart. He remained with this department for the duration of his career, rising through the ranks until reaching retirement in 1948. Hunter died in Ottawa, Ont. on 29 August 1949 (obituary Ottawa Journal, 30 Aug. 1949, 5; biog. Royal Inst. of British Architects [London], Directory of British Architects 1834-1914, 2001, Vol. 1, 981; biog. and list of works in the Dictionary of Scottish Architects - [online]).