Canadian American Club of Watertown Formed in Boston on May 19, 1937

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On May 19, 1937, a group of Canadian expatriates living in Massachusetts came together to form the Canadian-American League.

 According to a story in The Boston Globe published on the following day, the group was "seeking 1,000 charter members....(and) more than 200 attended" the first meeting.

Attorney Joseph S. O'Neill, the organizer and first president of the Canadian-American League, was originally from Prince Edward Island, according to his obituary in The Boston Globe published on August 20, 1938.  He worked at the Dolan, O'Neill and Balch law firm in Boston.

Judging from the many Scottish and Irish names cited in the Globe story, the organizers were largely comprised of immigrants who had come to the Boston area from the Maritime provinces.

The Canadian-American League eventually became known as the Canadian American Club, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary in Watertown, Massachusetts the weekend of October 19-21, 2012.

- Researched by Michael Quinlin




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