John Egan (November 11, 1811 – July 11, 1857) was an

Irish-Canadian ga, Gael-Cheanadaigh , image = Irish_Canadian_population_by_province.svg , image_caption = Irish Canadians as percent of population by province/territory , population = 4,627,00013.4% of the Canadian population (2016) , po ...

businessman and political figure in the

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

region. He was born near Aughrim, Ireland, in 1811. He came to

Aylmer Aylmer is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Edward Aylmer, Welsh MP * Edward Aylmer (cricketer), first-class cricketer and Royal Navy officer * Felix Aylmer, English stage actor * Sir Fenton Aylmer, 13th Baronet, British Arm ...

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...

, Canada, in 1830. After working with a lumber company on the upper

Ottawa River The Ottawa River (french: Rivière des Outaouais, Algonquin: ''Kichi-Sìbì/Kitchissippi'') is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word 'to trade', as it was the major trade route of Eastern ...

, he entered the business himself near

Bytown Bytown is the former name of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded on September 26, 1826, incorporated as a town on January 1, 1850, and superseded by the incorporation of the City of Ottawa on January 1, 1855. The founding was marked by a Grou ...

. He founded the town of

Eganville Eganville is a community occupying a deep limestone valley carved at the Fifth Chute of the Bonnechere River in Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. Eganville lies within the township of Bonnechere Valley. Eganville is also known as the Ordovician ...

in Ottawa Valley on the

Bonnechere River The Bonnechere River is a river in the Saint Lawrence River drainage basin in Nipissing District and Renfrew County in eastern and northeastern Ontario, Canada. Shows the river course highlighted on a topographic map. The river flows from Algonq ...

, later expanding his operation to the Quyon,

Petawawa Petawawa is a town located in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario. Situated in the Ottawa Valley, with a population of 18,160 (2021 Census), Petawawa is the most populous municipality in Renfrew County. Geography The town lies on the west ...

and Madawaska Rivers. Egan was one of four men to finance the construction of the first flour and sawmill in

in 1839, and in partnership with Joseph Aumond, he founded the Union Forwarding Company in 1845. In the late 1840s, he began building a number of

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

s. Together with

Ruggles Wright Ruggles Wright (1793 – August 18, 1863) was a Canadian lumber merchant, the second youngest son of Philemon Wright. He was born in Woburn, Massachusetts but moved to Canada with his parents while still young. He later joined the family busin ...

, he also operated a

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 ...

transporting goods on the

. Egan also played an important role in the development of railways service to the area, including the

Bytown and Prescott Railway The Bytown and Prescott Railway (B&PR) was a railway joining Ottawa (then called Bytown) with Prescott on the Saint Lawrence River. The company was incorporated in 1850, and the first train ran from Prescott into Bytown on Christmas Day, 1854. Th ...

. He bought James Wadsworth's farm at the ‘Fifth Chute’ on the Bonnechere in 1838, which he later developed into the village of

Eganville, Ontario Eganville is a community occupying a deep limestone valley carved at the Fifth Chute of the Bonnechere River in Renfrew County, Ontario, Canada. Eganville lies within the township of Bonnechere Valley. Eganville is also known as the Ordovici ...

. John Egan is known as the namesake for Eganville. He built dams and timber slides along the Bonnechere River and employed thousands of men through lumber camps and transportation. Thanks to Egan's interest in red pine and business investments, the surrounding area would become a hub for lumber activity with Eganville at the centre. By 1850, he was the dominant force in the timber trade along the Ottawa River. He had been elected first mayor of

in 1847. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of

in the riding of Ottawa County in 1848 and was reelected there in 1851. In 1854, he became the first elected representative for the newly formed riding of

Pontiac Pontiac may refer to: *Pontiac (automobile), a car brand *Pontiac (Ottawa leader) ( – 1769), a Native American war chief Places and jurisdictions Canada *Pontiac, Quebec, a municipality ** Apostolic Vicariate of Pontiac, now the Roman Catholic D ...

. A decline in the

red pine ''Pinus resinosa'', known as red pine (also Norway pine in Minnesota), is a pine native to North America. Description Red pine is a coniferous evergreen tree characterized by tall, straight growth. It usually ranges from in height and in trun ...

market forced him into bankruptcy in 1854. He died in 1857 at

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

while still representing Pontiac, after two years of ill health. In 1864, the Egan Township in Quebec was named in his honour (see: Egan-Sud, Quebec).

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* * 1811 births 1857 deaths 19th-century Irish people Anglophone Quebec people Irish emigrants to pre-Confederation Quebec Politicians from County Galway Pre-Confederation Canadian businesspeople Businesspeople from Ottawa Businesspeople from Quebec History of Gatineau Politicians from Gatineau Politicians from Ottawa Mayors of places in Quebec Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada East Pre-Confederation Ontario people Canadian Anglicans Immigrants to Lower Canada {{Quebec-mayor-stub

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