Charles Perry (7 December 1818 – 7 July 1876) was a Canadian businessman and political figure. He was a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

member of the

1st Canadian Parliament The 1st Canadian Parliament was in session from November 6, 1867, until July 8, 1872. The membership was set by the 1867 federal election from August 7 to September 20, 1867. It was prorogued prior to the 1872 election. It was controlled by a ...

representing

Peterborough West Peterborough West was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1953. It was located in the province of Ontario. It was created by the British North America Act of 1867 which divided the County of Pe ...

. He was born in

Cobourg Cobourg ( ) is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario east of Toronto and east of Oshawa. It is the largest town in and seat of Northumberland County. Its nearest neighbour is Port Hope, to the west. It is ...

, the son of

Ebenezer Perry Ebenezer Perry (September 29, 1788 – May 1, 1876) was a merchant and Canadian political figure. He was a Conservative Party of Canada (historical), Conservative member of the Senate of Canada from 1871 until his death and at the age of 83, t ...

. He entered the timber trade, purchasing land in the

Peterborough Peterborough () is a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, east of England. It is the largest part of the City of Peterborough unitary authority district (which covers a larger area than Peterborough itself). It was part of Northamptonshire until ...

area and building a large

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

on the current site of

Trent University Trent University is a public liberal arts university in Peterborough, Ontario, with a satellite campus in Oshawa, which serves the Regional Municipality of Durham. Trent is known for its Oxbridge college system and small class sizes.

in 1854. Perry served as mayor of Peterborough in 1853 and from 1861 to 1865. He was an unsuccessful candidate for a seat in the legislative assembly for the Province of Canada in a by-election held in 1864. Perry was a customs collector at Peterborough from 1873 to 1876 and died in Peterborough in the latter year.

References

1876 deaths Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Mayors of Peterborough, Ontario People from Cobourg 1818 births {{Ontario-mayor-stub