Charles William Sutter (November 19, 1856 – August 23, 1922) was a politician in

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, Canada and a municipal councillor in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Biography

Sutter was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. As a child, his family moved to Perth County where his father died in 1867. Sutter worked on the family's farm for three years, and then was apprenticed as a tailor in Toronto for another four. In 1875, he moved to

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

to work for the city's leading merchants, Higgins & Young. In 1879, Sutter set out by foot for Edmonton with James Ross, one horse, and a

Red River ox cart The Red River cart is a large two-wheeled cart made entirely of non-metallic materials. Often drawn by oxen, though also by horses or mules, these carts were used throughout most of the 19th century in the fur trade and in westward expansion in Ca ...

, arriving 76 days later. He became a partner in John Sinclair & Co. in the dry goods and grocery business until it dissolved in 1885. Sutter returned to Winnipeg and worked as a tailor for four years before returning again to Edmonton in 1891 to continue this work. In 1885, he married Mary Stewart (sometimes spelled Stuart). They had two children. He ran for

Edmonton Town Council The Edmonton City Council is the governing body of the City of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Edmonton currently has one mayor and twelve city councillors. Elections are held every four years. The most recent was held in 2021, and the next is in 20 ...

1894 Events January–March * January 4 – A military alliance is established between the French Third Republic and the Russian Empire. * January 7 – William Kennedy Dickson receives a patent for motion picture film in the United S ...

, finishing fifth of nine candidates in the race for alderman; he was one of six candidates elected. He was defeated in his bid for re-election in

1895 Events January–March * January 5 – Dreyfus affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his army rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. * January 12 – The National Trust for Places of Histor ...

, but did return to office in

1896 Events January–March * January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers. * January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state. * January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that Wil ...

, finishing fifth of eight candidates. He did not seek election at the conclusion of this term, and did not re-enter political life. In 1896 he was appointed immigration agent, a position he filled in Edmonton for 12 years before being transferred to the

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where he remained until just before his death. Sutter was the President of the Old Timers' Club of Edmonton, organized Edmonton's first group of Masons, and was active with groups including the Order of Oddfellows, the United Workmen, and the

Knights of Pythias The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization and secret society founded in Washington, D.C., on . The Knights of Pythias is the first fraternal organization to receive a charter under an act of the United States Congress. It was founded ...

References

Report to the Executive Committee of Edmonton City Council, February 11 2004Edmonton Public Library Biography of Charles SutterCity of Edmonton biography of Charles Sutter
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sutter, Charles 1856 births 1922 deaths Edmonton city councillors Canadian people of Swiss-German descent Politicians from Toronto