George Thomas Marks (August 31, 1856 – May 21, 1907) was a businessman and politician in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. He was mayor of

Port Arthur, Ontario Port Arthur was a city in Northern Ontario, Canada, located on Lake Superior. In January 1970, it amalgamated with Fort William and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay. Port Arthur had been the district seat of ...

(later

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its population ...

) from 1893 to 1899. He was born in

Bruce Mines Bruce Mines is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located on the north shore of Lake Huron in the Algoma District along Highway 17. The town of Bruce Mines had a population of 582 residents in 2016. The current mayor of Bruce Mines is L ...

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

, the son of George Marks and Mary Traynor, and was educated at Trinity College School in Port Hope. In 1873, he settled in Prince Arthur's Landing (later Port Arthur). He worked in various companies owned by his uncle

Thomas Marks Thomas Marks (June 21, 1834 – July 9, 1900) was an Irish-born Canadian businessman who served as the first mayor of Port Arthur, Ontario (later part of Thunder Bay). He was born in Kilfinane, the son of Samuel Marks, and came with his famil ...

, before becoming a partner in Thomas Marks and Company in 1884. Marks was married twice: to Jennie Laird in 1881 and to Mary Elizabeth Rowan in 1898. Marks was treasurer and councillor for

Shuniah Shuniah () is a municipal township bordering the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada on the east. Shuniah was incorporated by an act of the Ontario legislature in 1873, and at that time included much of present-day Thunder Bay and its predecesso ...

and then served on Port Arthur town council from 1885 to 1887. He established a municipal electric-lighting plant and helped consolidate town debt associated with earlier public works projects. He also supported a power generation plan for the

Kaministiquia River The Kaministiquia River is a river which flows into western Lake Superior at the city of Thunder Bay, Ontario. ''Kaministiquia'' (''Gaa-ministigweyaa'') is an Ojibwe word meaning "where a stream flows in island" due to two large islands (McKellar ...

and helped promote the

Ontario and Rainy River Railway The Ontario and Rainy River Railway was a railway that existed briefly in the late 19th century. The company had been incorporated in 1886 to build a railway from Port Arthur, Ontario to the Rainy River. On the 4th of May 1899, the chief promoters ...

. In 1894, he became a partner in the St Lawrence and Chicago Steam Navigation Company and in 1903, with others, formed the Canadian North West Steamship Company and Neebing Navigation Limited. He was also vice-president of the Dominion Marine Association. He was defeated when he ran for reelection as mayor in 1900. Marks ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the House of Commons in 1904. He was one of the earliest proponents for amalgamation of Port Arthur and Fort William. Marks died 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 ...

at the age of 50.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Marks, George T 1856 births 1907 deaths Mayors of Port Arthur, Ontario