James McCrie Douglas was born in Lanark County, Ontario in 1867. He moved to Edmonton, Alberta in 1894, the same year that he married Mary Cameron Bickerton.
In 1902, James Douglas had a home built at 10535 Saskatchewan Drive where he and his wife spent the rest of their lives together. James Douglas and his brother, Robert Douglas, opened a mercantile store nearby the home on the corner of 104 Street and Whyte Avenue. In 1909, James Douglas ran as a Liberal Candidate for the Federal Constituency of Leduc, Alberta and was elected to the House of Commons. His political career was briefly put on hold while he served in the Second World War, obtaining the rank of Captain in the Supply Division. At the end of the war, he ran in the election but was defeated, but he was later elected Councillor in the 1922 election, and served as such until 1930. After his time as a Councillor, he was elected as Mayor until 1932. Despite the smear campaign that occurred in the 1932 election, James Douglas was elected to City Council once again in 1933 and served on council until 1949.
He was Chairman of the Edmonton Exhibition Association, President of the Kiwanis Club, President of the Edmonton Burns Club, and Chairman of North West Brewery. In his spare time, James Douglas attended the Edmonton Golf and Country Club, of which he was a charter member. He was also on the Board of Managers at Knox Church.
James Douglas died on March 16, 1950, just a few weeks prior to being awarded with the
“Man of the Year” citation by the Edmonton Junior Chamber of Commerce. In his will, he left
money to establish two scholarships at the University of Alberta which are known as the Mary
Cameron and James M. Douglas Scholarships.
James McCrie Douglas Park was named because of the close proximity of his original
farmland to this park site. James Douglas was passionate about gardening and about farming,
and the farm that he purchased in 1922 was the west half of section 26-T51-R25-W4. Farming
was a hobby that he pursued for the rest of his life, travelling to his small cabin on the farmland
for the day, and returning to Edmonton in the evening.