James Davidson Geddes (c. 1844 – March 30, 1895) was a Canadian accountant, rancher and politician who served a term in the Northwest Territories Legislature.

Early life

Geddes, originally from the

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, lived in

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and worked as an accountant for the Merchants Bank. He married his wife, Eliza Fanning at the Trinity Church in Galt on June 12, 1866. He moved out west in 1882 to the

District of Alberta The District of Alberta was one of four districts of the Northwest Territories created in 1882. It was styled the Alberta Provisional District to distinguish it from the District of Keewatin which had a more autonomous relationship from the N ...

in the Northwest Territories. His ranch was established on land where the Ghost River intersects the

Bow River The Bow River is a river in Alberta, Canada. It begins within the Canadian Rocky Mountains and winds through the Alberta foothills onto the prairies, where it meets the Oldman River, the two then forming the South Saskatchewan River. These w ...

and in 1885 he had 200 head of cattle. The land is now part of Ghost Reservoir Provincial Park.

Political career

Geddes ran for public office to a seat on the North-West Legislative Council in a by-election held on June 28, 1884. The election was the first one held in the city of Calgary in the Calgary electoral district defeated James Oswald in a hotly contested election. He left the Council in 1886. Geddes died of influenza in March 1895.

References

Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Northwest Territories Canadian accountants Year of birth uncertain 1895 deaths {{NorthwestTerritories-politician-stub