James Somerville (June 7, 1834 – May 24, 1916) was an

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 ...

journalist, newspaper editor and political figure. He was a

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

member of the

House of Commons of Canada The House of Commons of Canada (french: Chambre des communes du Canada) is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The House of Common ...

who represented Brant North from 1882 to 1896 and Wentworth North and Brant from 1896 to 1900. He was born in

Dundas Dundas may refer to: Places Australia * Dundas, New South Wales * Dundas, Queensland, a locality in the Somerset Region * Dundas, Tasmania * Dundas, Western Australia * Fort Dundas, a settlement in the Northern Territory 1824–1828 * Shire of ...

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

in 1834 and educated there and in Simcoe. In 1854, he became editor and owner of the

Ayr Ayr (; sco, Ayr; gd, Inbhir Àir, "Mouth of the River Ayr") is a town situated on the southwest coast of Scotland. It is the administrative centre of the South Ayrshire Subdivisions of Scotland, council area and the historic Shires of Scotlan ...

''Observer''. In 1858, he returned to Dundas, where he established the ''True Banner''. In the same year, he married Jeanette Rogers. Somerville served as mayor of Dundas in 1874 and was warden for Wentworth County. He died in Dundas in 1916.

Electoral record

References

''The Canadian parliamentary companion, 1891'', JA Gemmill
*
''The Canadian men and women of the time : a handbook of Canadian biography'', HJ Morgan (1898)
1834 births 1916 deaths Mayors of places in Ontario Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario Liberal Party of Canada MPs Politicians from Hamilton, Ontario {{Ontario-mayor-stub