(11 March 1855-8 Dec. 1930), clergyman. Born at Campbellford, Ont. Parents: Mr and Mrs Walter Govan. Education: public school and high school at Campbellford, Queen’s University (where he was gold medallist in mathematics in 1887). He was ordained 1886. He was a minister at L’Amable, Ont., 1887-1888, then was inducted as minister of St. Andrew’s, Williamstown, 27 June 1888. He remained minister of St. Andrew’s for 42 years, till 1930, first as a Presbyterian, and then, after Church Union, as a member of the United Church. He was the 5th minister of St. Andrew’s and continued a tradition there of long pastorates. The first minister of St. Andrew’s was the Rev. John Bethune, and Govan’s immediate predecessor (who lived to speak at Govan’s funeral) was the Rev. Alexander MacGillivray.

     During the Govan pastorate St. Andrew’s celebrated its 100th anniversary. He is said to have been the editor of the well known commemorative volume which the church published, Report of Centenary Celebration August 25th to September 2nd, 1912 (published 1916). In 1925 St. Andrew’s joined the United Church. Govan had served as moderator of the Montreal and Ottawa Synod of the Presbyterian Church, and later served as president of the Montreal and Ottawa Conference of the United Church. Also, for some years he was a member of Williamstown High School Board. In 1923 he received a D.D. degree from Queen’s University. He died in Ottawa at the home of his daughter. He is buried at St. Andrew’s cemetery, Williamstown. A poem by J. J. L. Gourlay, of Sault Ste. Marie, on the late Dr Govan was published in the Cornwall Freeholder 21 Feb. 1931. Arpad Govan was married in 1888 to Mary Tait (1862-1937), of L’Amable, Ont. Their only surviving son Lt. Walter T. Govan (1893-28 Aug.1917), who went overseas as a soldier in the 154th Battalion, WWI, was wounded in battle on the Western Front, dying about 10 days later.

Cornwall Freeholder 10 Dec. 1930, 10 Jan. 1931 (sermon on his death), Glengarry News 12 Dec. 1930 (portrait) * MacMillan, Kirk, 48, 59-60, with portrait * Centenary 1912 portrait * Mrs Q.W. Irvine and others, History of St. Andrew’s United Church at Williamstown (1987?) * Fraser, Gravestones, I, 104-105 * Rose Gourlay Gosse, I Remember Glengarry (1978) 41 * Lt. Walter T. Govan: death, GN 7 Sept. 1917; Boss 67, 250; rediscovery of a medal of his, GN 5 & 12 Nov. 2003