Charles Wilson (April 1808 – May 4, 1877) was a Canadian businessman and politician.

Background

Wilson was born at

Coteau-du-Lac Coteau-du-Lac is a small city in southwestern Quebec, Canada. It is on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges Regional County Municipality. The name of the town comes from the French word ''Coteau'' which meant "sl ...

, Quebec, in 1808. He was the son of Alexander Wilson (b.1758), a native of

Huntly, Aberdeenshire Huntly ( gd, Srath Bhalgaidh or ''Hunndaidh'') is a town in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, formerly known as Milton of Strathbogie or simply Strathbogie. It had a population of 4,460 in 2004 and is the site of Huntly Castle. Its neighbouring settlement ...

, who came to

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

where he was a merchant,

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

and later

Seigneur ''Seigneur'' is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. A seigneur refers to the person or collective who owned a ''seigneurie'' (or ...

of Granville. Wilson's mother, Catherine-Angélique d'Ailleboust de Manthet (1781-1845), was the daughter of Nicholas d'Ailleboust des Musseaux de Manthet (1747-1826), descended from

Louis d'Ailleboust de Coulonge Louis d'Ailleboust de Coulonge (c. 1612 – 31 May 1660) was the French governor of New France from 1648 to 1651 and acting governor from 1657 to 1658. He caused to be built the house that is today known as the Duke of Kent House, Quebec. ...

, 4th

Governor of New France The governor of New France was the viceroy of the King of France in North America. A French nobleman, he was appointed to govern the colonies of New France, which included Canada, Acadia and Louisiana. The residence of the Governor was at the Chatea ...

. Wilson established a hardware business, and became a prosperous and respected merchant near the

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 ...

waterfront. In 1835, he married Ann Tracey, sister of

Daniel Tracey Daniel Tracey (probably 1794 – July 18, 1832) born in Roscrea, Tipperary County, Ireland, was a doctor, journalist and Canadian politician. He arrived in the Province of Lower Canada (today Quebec) with his younger siblings in 1825. Th ...

Montreal city politics

He served as a City Councillor of Montreal from 1848 to 1849 and from 1850 to 1852 and

Mayor of Montreal The mayor of Montreal is head of the executive branch of the Montreal City Council. The current mayor is Valérie Plante, who was elected into office on November 5, 2017, and sworn in on November 16. The office of the mayor administers all c ...

from 1851 to 1854. Protestant journalists such as John Dougall of the

Montreal Witness ''The Montreal Witness'' was an English-language Protestant newspaper published in Montreal from 1845 to 1938. Mission and Purpose The ''Montreal Witness'' was founded in 1845, by John Dougall. In the December 15, 1845 edition of the ''Witnes ...

persisted in accusing the mayor for the

Gavazzi Riots The Gavazzi Riots were disturbances created in Quebec and Montreal in June 1853 by mobs which attacked halls in which ex-Catholic monk Alessandro Gavazzi was lecturing. Overview During the spring of 1853 Alessandro Gavazzi, an Italian patriot ...

. When in September 1855, at

Ignace Bourget Ignace Bourget (October 30, 1799 – June 8, 1885) was a Canadian Roman Catholic priest who held the title of Bishop of Montreal from 1840 to 1876. Born in Lévis, Quebec, in 1799, Bourget entered the clergy at an early age, undertook several cou ...

's request, Wilson received the cross of commander of the

Order of St. Gregory the Great The Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great ( la, Ordo Sancti Gregorii Magni; it, Ordine di San Gregorio Magno) was established on 1 September 1831, by Pope Gregory XVI, seven months after his election as Pope. The order is one of ...

from

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

, the Protestant press resumed its accusations against the man responsible for the "

St Bartholomew of Montreal The Gavazzi Riots were disturbances created in Quebec and Montreal in June 1853 by mobs which attacked halls in which ex-Catholic monk Alessandro Gavazzi was lecturing. Overview During the spring of 1853 Alessandro Gavazzi, an Italian patriot ...

Member of the upper house

In 1852, he became a member of the

Legislative Council of the Province of Canada The Legislative Council of the Province of Canada was the upper house for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper Canada, then known as ...

and, following the creation of the

Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Canada, Dom ...

in 1867, he was appointed to the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the B ...

in the new nation's capital

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

as a

Conservative party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

representative for the riding of Rigaud.

Death

Charles Wilson is interred in the

Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery (french: Cimetière Notre-Dame-des-Neiges) is a rural cemetery located in the borough of Côte-des-Neiges-Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Montreal, Quebec, Canada which was founded in 1854. The entrance and the grounds run a ...

in Montreal. He is commemorated by both Wilson Avenue in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce and by rue Charles-Wilson in Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Charles 1808 births 1877 deaths Burials at Notre Dame des Neiges Cemetery Businesspeople from Montreal Canadian senators from Quebec Mayors of Montreal Members of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada People from Montérégie