Charles Fuller Gildersleeve (October 17, 1833 – January 18, 1906) was a lawyer, business owner and politician in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. He served as mayor of

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

in 1879. The son of Henry Gildersleeve and Sarah Finkle, he was born in Kingston and was educated at

Upper Canada College Upper Canada College (UCC) is an elite, all-boys, private school in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as the country's most prestigious preparatory school, and has produce ...

. Gildersleeve was called to the Ontario bar in 1859 and joined his brother Overton Smith in the practice of law. He married Mary Elizabeth Herchmer. He took over the operation of the family steamship business after his brother died in 1864 and expanded that business. Gildersleeve formed the Lake Ontario and Bay of Quinte Steamboat Company in 1893 and, in 1894, he became general manager of the

Richelieu and Ontario Navigation Company Richelieu (, ; ) may refer to: People * Cardinal Richelieu (Armand-Jean du Plessis, 1585–1642), Louis XIII's chief minister * Alphonse-Louis du Plessis de Richelieu (1582–1653), French Carthusian bishop and Cardinal * Louis François Arman ...

. In 1913, those companies became part of Canada Steamship Lines. He served on Kingston city council for 22 years. He took part in the construction of the

Kingston and Pembroke Railway The Kingston and Pembroke Railway (K&P) was a Canadian railway that operated in eastern Ontario. The railway was seen as a business opportunity which would support the lumber and mining industries, as well as the agricultural economy in eastern On ...

and became he railway's president. Gildersleeve also helped establish the School of Mining, later the Department of Mining, at

Queen's University Queen's or Queens University may refer to: *Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario, Canada *Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK **Queen's University of Belfast (UK Parliament constituency) (1918–1950) **Queen's University of Belfast ...

. He died in Kingston and was buried in

Cataraqui Cemetery Cataraqui Cemetery is a non-denominational cemetery located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1850, it predates Canadian Confederation, and continues as an active burial ground. The cemetery is 91 acres in a rural setting with rolling wo ...

. His son Nenry, known as "H. H.", became president of the Bay of Quinte Steamboat Company, was general manager of the Northern Navigation Company of Sarnia and later served on the executive of Canada Steamship Lines. His daughter Maud married

Victor Brereton Rivers Lieutenant Colonel Victor Brereton Rivers (2 February 1860 - 25 September 1911) was the first Intelligence Staff Officer of the Canadian militia on 6 February 1901. His staff work led shortly after, on 1 April 1903, to the formation of the Corp ...

References

1833 births 1906 deaths Mayors of Kingston, Ontario Businesspeople from Ontario Canadian businesspeople in shipping Canadian railway entrepreneurs 19th-century Canadian businesspeople {{Ontario-mayor-stub