Arthur Robert Torrie was born on March 4, 1871 in Guelph, Ontario. His parents, Arthur "Red" Torrie and
Mary McLaughlan, were both born in Argyll, Scotland. They married there in 1850, and had a family of twelve children. According to the 1861 Scotland census, they had four sons and one daughter, and "Red" worked in the slate quarry. Sometime between the birth of their son, James, in 1860, and Arthur's birth in 1871 they immigrated to Canada. Their final destination was in Huron County, Grey Township where they farmed for many years.
In 1908 Arthur married Orlie Alma Mower in Thamesford, Ontario. Orlie's parents were James Mower and Florence Freeman. James was a merchant in Thamesford and owned a store on Dundas Street. Earlier, he had been a blacksmith in Grey Township. He later moved to Newmarket where he was a clothing salesman. At the time of their marriage, Arthur was 35 and Orlie was 20. Arthur's occupation was listed as a Veterinary Surgeon.
The first school in Ontario for veterinary medicine was the Upper Canada Veterinary School established in 1863 and housed on the third floor of Toronto's Agricultural Hall. The course was short and practical and required only very basic literacy skills to enroll. Later, a longer course was added with a $5.00 fee. With the arrival of two veterinarian surgeons from the Edinburgh Veterinary School, and a board of examiners, the school was able to issue diplomas. By 1870, a new building was opened on Temperance Street in Toronto and renamed the Ontario Veterinary College. By 1876, the student body had increased to 200, and a
laboratory, office spaces, and increased stabling for the college's infirmary was added.
It would have been at this location that Arthur Torrie attended the college to become a licenced veterinary. In 1914, the college moved to more modern facilities on University Avenue. In 1922, the OVC moved to its present location in Guelph.
A short time after their marriage, the couple moved to Toronto where Arthur was the veterinary inspector at the abattoir. In the 1921 census, the couple were enumerated as living in Stratford and renting a house at 388 Ontario Street. They moved into the newly-built house at 152 Water Street in 1925.
Arthur and Orlie never had children. They lived together in the house until Orlie's death in 1948. Two years later, Arthur moved to Victoria, British Columbia to live with his sister. He died there in 1957. Both Arthur and Orlie were buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Owen Sound.