Lee MacLellan Early Years

Shortly after Lee's mother Sara died, it was his paternal grandmother, Catherine Smith (widow of Issac MacLellan), who brought the five children back to Minneapolis in 1896. From there the picture is a little murky, as apparently the five children were distributed among relatives until Angus remarried in 1901.

The Minnesota state census in 1905 shows Lee at age 9 living with Angus and his new wife Jenine Maude Davidson, nicknamed "Maude". She was apparently rather strict, but it may be due to the fact that Angus had 5 children that he brought to the marriage without telling his new wife! Also Maude was 13 years younger than her new husband.

From 1900 to 1912 Lee attended four different elementary schools, three in Minneapolis and one in Cannon Falls, MN. Why Lee attended four different schools is unknown, but his father Angus, always the peripatetic, may have lived in different houses or apartments.

When he reached high school he apparently blossomed. He went to West Side high school from 1912 to 1916. That's where he met his future wife, Irma Vere Baker.

In his high school yearbook, Lee was voted the best in his class in four categories:

Most Popular Boy
Best Bluffer (perhaps that helped him in his career selling cars?)
Best Sport
Most Spirited

After graduation from high school in 1916, he promptly enlisted in the Minnesota National Guard, but only served from June to October 2016. He returned to Minneapolis and enrolled in the University of Minnesota, where he attended for one year, playing track and football.

Lee MacLellan in 1912. He was a freshman in the West Side High School in Minneapolis.

University of Minnesota Historical Archives

University of Minnesota historical picture

The University of Minnesota football team in 1916. Lee MacLellan is second row, far left.