George Percival Ridout (August 21, 1807 – June 28, 1873) was an English-born merchant and politician in Canada West. He represented Toronto in the

Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the legislature 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 C ...

from 1851 to 1854 as an independent Conservative. George Ridout built a mansion in Dorset Street 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 ...

that quickly became a landmark because of its spacious rooms and extensive out buildings. He lived in the property for ten years before moving. After unsuccessfully being converted into a hotel the house fell into disrepair and became known as a bad place in Toronto. After many issues, including the death of a child in the home, the mansion was torn down in 1887. He was born in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

, the son of George Ridout and Mary Ann Wright, and came to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

with his parents in 1820. With his brother Joseph Davis, Ridout was employed with English iron and hardware merchants Tarratt's. In 1828, he moved to

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

where he entered the study of law. In 1832, Ridout formed Ridout Brothers and Company, a company dealing in wholesale and retail sales of iron and hardware, with his brother. From 1844 to 1852, he served as president of the

Toronto Board of Trade The Toronto Region Board of Trade is the principal local business community organization in the City of Toronto. It is the largest Chamber of Commerce/board of trade in Canada and one of the largest in North America. Its primary contemporary focu ...

. In 1851, he was elected to Toronto city council and the Toronto public school board of trustees. Ridout also ran unsuccessfully for mayor in 1851. He was defeated when he ran for reelection to the provincial assembly in 1854. Ridout retired from the hardware business in 1866. He became governor for the British America Assurance Company in 1853 and became manager for the same company in 1871, serving until his death in Toronto at the age of 65.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ridout, George P 1807 births 1873 deaths Businesspeople from Toronto Hardware merchants Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada West Canadian merchants People from Old Toronto Politicians from Toronto