Biography
Hamish Scott MacKay was a Canadian-born Portland carpenter and Depression-era Workers’ Alliance organizer who had lived in the United States permanently since 1928. Immigration authorities began deportation proceedings in 1949 based on alleged former Communist Party membership. A federal habeas case records that the government held him for deportation, but the reviewed decisions do not establish the dates or total duration of that detention. After the Supreme Court refused a stay, officials deported MacKay to Canada in November 1960.
The National Guardian, November 16, 1953, printed page 5 (PDF page 9) reports a historical age. Contemporary report gives age 48 in November 1953, placing birth in 1904 or 1905; no exact birth date or custody endpoint given. This is an approximate research lead based on the reported age, not a confirmed birthday; the birth-date field has not been filled from it.
