Erskine Henry Bronson (September 12, 1844 – October 19, 1920) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

-born Canadian businessman and political figure. He represented the riding of

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 ...

in the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...

from 1886 to 1898. He was born in

Bolton, New York Bolton is a town in Warren County, New York, United States. It is part of the Glens Falls Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,117 at the 2000 census. Bolton is on the eastern border of the county. History The first settlements be ...

in 1844, the son of

Henry Franklin Bronson Henry Franklin Bronson (February 24, 1817 – December 7, 1889) was an American-Canadian lumber baron known as one of Ottawa's early entrepreneurs, establishing a large lumber mill at Chaudière Falls on the Ottawa River. Bronson's efforts ...

, and came to

Bytown Bytown is the former name of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded on September 26, 1826, incorporated as a town on January 1, 1850, and superseded by the incorporation of the City of Ottawa on January 1, 1855. The founding was marked by a Grou ...

with his family in 1853. Bronson was educated in

at the District Grammar School and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. He became a partner in the Bronsons and Weston Lumber Company in 1867 and took control of the company when his father died in 1889. Bronson served on Ottawa City Council from 1872 to 1877 and was a provincial minister in the

from 1886 to 1898. He was also a public school board trustee for 18 years. Bronson was president of the Ottawa Power Company, Limited. This resulted from his efforts to diversify the family business. The power house and power plant at

Chaudière Falls , image = Ottawa Chaudiere Falls.jpg , image_size = 300px , caption = Chaudière Falls in June 2006, at summer water levels , map_image = , map_size = , coordinates = , coords_ref = , location ...

which were erected in 1900 following the 1900 Hull–Ottawa fire were owned by this company. Bronson also was responsible for the 1891 construction of Generating Station No. 2 at the falls. He, with Gordon B. Pattee (a lumber baron), formed Standard Electric Light Company. (This company was almost certainly actually called Standard Electric Company of Ottawa (Limited), formed in 1891 with Bronson as president, and Pattee as vice-president, which merged with others into the Ottawa Electric Company in 1894). Bronson was later director of the Ottawa Electric Company later absorbed by Ottawa Hydro. He served as Vice President of Ottawa Electric Company, Vice President of Ottawa Light, Heat and Power Company, Limited and President of Upper Ottawa Improvement Company, Limited. He was also president of "Bronson Company" and president of the Ottawa Carbide Company. Bronson was also noted as a philanthropist, supporting churches, missions and charities. Bronson retired from business in 1910. He died at Ottawa in 1920. He is buried in

Beechwood Cemetery Beechwood Cemetery, located in the former city of Vanier in Ottawa, Ontario, is the National Cemetery of Canada. It is the final resting place for over 82,000 Canadians from all walks of life, such as important politicians like Governor Genera ...

. A street in Ottawa,

Bronson Avenue Bronson Avenue ( Ottawa Road #79) is a major north-south arterial road in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It starts as a continuation of the Airport Parkway, which is an expressway to the Macdonald-Cartier International Airport. It continues past Carl ...

is named after him.

Family

Erskine H. Bronson married Ella W. Webster at Norfolk, Va., in 1874. Ella was the daughter of Prof. N. B. Webster, a cousin of the American statesman,

Daniel Webster Daniel Webster (January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852) was an American lawyer and statesman who represented New Hampshire and Massachusetts in the U.S. Congress and served as the U.S. Secretary of State under Presidents William Henry Harrison, ...

. She was a member of the Ottawa Council of Women since its first organization, and assisted in the establishment of the Associated Charities. She served as President of the Maternity Hospital, Ottawa, when it opened in 1895. Bronson had one son and one daughter.

Electoral record

External links

''The Canadian men and women of the time : a handbook of Canadian biography'', HJ Morgon (1898)Member's parliamentary history for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario
*

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bronson, Erskine Henry 1844 births 1920 deaths Ontario Liberal Party MPPs Canadian businesspeople American emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario Immigrants to the Province of Canada Lisgar Collegiate Institute alumni