Hugh McLennan (June 26, 1825 – November 22, 1899) was a Canadian

merchant A merchant is a person who trades in commodities produced by other people, especially one who trades with foreign countries. Historically, a merchant is anyone who is involved in business or trade. Merchants have operated for as long as indust ...

of Scottish descent who was primarily based in Montreal. The son of John McLennan, who came to Canada from Scotland in 1802, he was born in Lancaster, Upper Canada, and was educated in

Glengarry County Glengarry County, an area covering , is a former county in the province of Ontario, Canada. It is historically known for its settlement of Scottish Highlanders. Glengarry County now consists of the modern-day townships of North Glengarry and South ...

. In 1842, he moved to Montreal to work in a hardware business there. He later worked as a purser on

steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...

s that travelled between Montreal and

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

. In 1850, he was promoted to freight agent, at first based in Kingston and later in Montreal. In 1853, with his brother, he founded a grain and shipping company, later known as the

Montreal Transportation Company Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-p ...

with McLennan as president. In 1856, he moved with his family to Chicago, where he became involved in the trade in pork and bacon. McLennan returned to Montreal in 1867. He served as a director for various companies, including

Bank of Montreal The Bank of Montreal (BMO; french: Banque de Montréal, link=no) is a Canadian multinational investment bank and financial services company. The bank was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1817 as Montreal Bank; while its head office remains in ...

, Canada Paper Company, the British America Fire and Life Assurance Company and Sun Life. McLennan was also president of the International Coal Company Ltd and the Black Diamond Steamship Company. From 1872 to 1874, he was president of the Montreal Board of Trade; he also represented the Board of Trade on the Montreal Harbour Commission. McLennan served on the board of governors of McGill University and was president of the

St. Andrew's Society of Montreal The Saint Andrew's Society of Montreal is a non-profit organization based in Montreal dedicated to celebrating Scotland, Scottish heritage. It was founded in 1835. It was established with the stated aims of “regulating charity in a systematic ma ...

from 1885 to 1886. He retired from business in 1898. McLennan married Isabella Stewart, the daughter of Neil Stewart. His son

John Stewart John Stewart may refer to: Business * John Aikman Stewart (1822–1926), American banker * John Killough Stewart (1867–1938), businessman and philanthropist in Queensland, Australia * John K. Stewart (1870–1916), American entrepreneur and inve ...

later served in the Canadian Senate. His son William was an author and fellow in the Royal Society of Canada. He died in Montreal at the age of 74.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McLennan, Hugh 1825 births 1899 deaths Canadian people of Scottish descent Businesspeople from Montreal People from the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry McGill University people Sun Life Financial Directors of Bank of Montreal 19th-century Canadian merchants Canadian businesspeople in shipping