Charles Alexander (13 June 1816 – 5 November 1905) was a

Scottish Scottish usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including: *Scottish Gaelic, a Celtic Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family native to Scotland *Scottish English *Scottish national identity, the Scottish ide ...

-born merchant and political figure in

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

. He represented Montréal-Centre in the

Legislative Assembly of Quebec The Legislative Assembly of Quebec (French: ''Assemblée législative du Québec'') was the name of the lower house of Quebec's legislature from 1867 to December 31, 1968, when it was renamed the National Assembly of Quebec. At the same time, t ...

from 1874 to 1875 as a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

. He was born in

Dundee Dundee (; sco, Dundee; gd, Dùn Dè or ) is Scotland's fourth-largest city and the 51st-most-populous built-up area in the United Kingdom. The mid-year population estimate for 2016 was , giving Dundee a population density of 2,478/km2 or ...

, the son of John Alexander and Murina Mudie, and was educated there. He worked for a firm that manufactured

marmalade Marmalade is a fruit preserve made from the juice and peel of citrus fruits boiled with sugar and water. The well-known version is made from bitter orange. It is also made from lemons, limes, grapefruits, mandarins, sweet oranges, bergamo ...

. Alexander was married Margaret Kyle in 1838. In 1840, he came to

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...

with his family after the company opened a branch in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

. In 1841, he operated a business in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

with a partner but, in 1842, returned to Montreal and opened a confectionery store there the following year. He expanded into manufacturing, wholesale sales and catering; Alexander also operated a dining room and ice cream parlour. Alexander served on the municipal council for Montreal from 1865 to 1875. He helped found the Society for the Protection of Women and Children in 1869, serving as its vice-president. In the same year, he was co-founder and president for the Protestant Institution for Deaf-Mutes and for the Blind. In 1870, Alexander helped found the Boys' Home of Montreal, also serving as its president. He also was president of the Canadian Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Montreal. Alexander was a director for the Sun Mutual Life Insurance Company of Montreal, the Montreal Loan and Mortgage Company and the Mount Royal Cemetery Company. Alexander was elected to the Quebec assembly in an 1874 by-election held after

Luther Hamilton Holton Luther Hamilton Holton (January 22, 1817 – March 14, 1880) was a Canadian businessman and political figure. He represented Châteauguay as a Liberal member in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1880. He became Minister of Finance ...

resigned his seat. He was defeated by

Alexander Walker Ogilvie Alexander Walker Ogilvie (May 7, 1829 – March 31, 1902) was a Canadian politician and businessman. He and his brothers, William and John, are remembered for their pioneering work in the Canadian milling trade with their company, A. W. Ogilv ...

when he ran for reelection in 1875. Alexander was married a second time to Mary Ann Patton in 1884. He died in Montreal at the age of 89 after falling from a second story window in his home. Alexander was buried in the

Mount Royal Cemetery Opened in 1852, Mount Royal Cemetery is a terraced cemetery on the north slope of Mount Royal in the borough of Outremont in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Temple Emanu-El Cemetery, a Reform Judaism burial ground, is within the Mount Royal grounds. Th ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Charles 1816 births 1905 deaths Anglophone Quebec people Scottish emigrants to Canada Accidental deaths from falls Accidental deaths in Quebec Canadian Congregationalists Quebec Liberal Party MNAs Politicians from Dundee Politicians from Montreal Burials at Mount Royal Cemetery