John Simpson (May 12, 1812 – March 21, 1885) 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 ...

businessman 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

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the B ...

from 1867 to 1885. He was born in

Rothes Rothes (; gd, Ràthais) is a town in Moray, Scotland, on the banks of the River Spey, south of Elgin. The town had a population of 1,252 at the 2011 Census. A settlement has been here since AD 600. History and castle At the south end of the ...

, Scotland in 1812 and came to

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 ...

with his family in 1815, eventually settling in

Brockville Brockville, formerly Elizabethtown, is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, in the Thousand Islands region. Although it is the seat of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, it is politically Independent city, independent of the county. It i ...

. He began work as a clerk in Charles Bowman's general store and mill at Darlington (later

Bowmanville Bowmanville is a town of approximately 40,000 people located in the Municipality of Clarington, Ontario, Clarington, Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham Region, Ontario, Canada. It is approximately east of Toronto, and east of Oshawa along ...

) and became Bowman's partner. Simpson excelled at the production of flour. After Bowman's death in 1848, he continued to operate the business in partnership with his brother-in-law. He became manager of the

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 ...

branch at Bowmanville in 1848, but became president of the newly formed

Ontario Bank Ontario Bank was an early bank operating in Ontario, Canada. It began operations in 1857 and was last listed as a member of the Canadian Bankers Association in 1901. The bank was founded in Bowmanville, Ontario by John Simpson, a local residen ...

in 1857. Simpson served on the council for the

Newcastle District The Newcastle District was a historic district in Upper Canada which existed until 1849. It was formed in 1802 from the Home District, consisting of the counties of Durham and Northumberland. History The legislature had enacted in 1798 that "as so ...

and for Darlington Township. He was elected to the Legislative Council for the province in 1856 and reelected by acclamation in 1864. He was named to the Senate after

Confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a union of sovereign groups or states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

and served until his death in Bowmanville in 1885.

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, John 1812 births 1885 deaths Canadian senators from Ontario Liberal Party of Canada senators Members of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada People from Moray People from Brockville Scottish emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario People from Clarington Immigrants to Upper Canada Canadian bankers