John Waldie (April 22, 1833 – June 12, 1907) was a Canadian politician and businessman.
Biography
Born in
Hawick
Hawick ( ; sco, Haaick; gd, Hamhaig) is a town in the Scottish Borders council area and historic county of Roxburghshire in the east Southern Uplands of Scotland. It is south-west of Jedburgh and south-south-east of Selkirk. It is one of ...
, Roxburghshire,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, he moved to
Canada West
The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...
when still a youth.
When the rest of his family moved to
Huron County to establish a farm,
he decided to remain in Nelson Township, becoming a prominent wheat merchant.
He was
Reeve
Reeve may refer to:
Titles
*Reeve (Canada), an elected chief executive of some counties, townships, and equivalents
*Reeve (England), an official elected annually by the serfs to supervise lands for a lord
*High-reeve, a title taken by some Englis ...
of Nelson Township for two years,
and was instrumental in incorporating the Village of Wellington Square in 1873.
After Wellington Square was amalgamated with Port Nelson to become the Village of Burlington late that year,
he became its Reeve for five years.
During that time, he was also
Warden
A warden is a custodian, defender, or guardian. Warden is often used in the sense of a watchman or guardian, as in a prison warden. It can also refer to a chief or head official, as in the Warden of the Mint.
''Warden'' is etymologically identic ...
of
Halton County
Halton County is a former county in the Canadian province of Ontario, with an area of . It is also one of the oldest counties in Canada.
History
Halton County is named after Major William Mathew Halton (1746-1823), a British Army officer, who w ...
for two years.
In 1885, he sold his interest in his business to his partner, and became a
lumber baron
A business magnate, also known as a tycoon, is a person who has achieved immense wealth through the ownership of multiple lines of enterprise. The term characteristically refers to a powerful entrepreneur or investor who controls, through perso ...
, moving to Toronto in the process.
He founded the Victoria Harbour Lumber Company (consolidating three mills then operating) that year,
located at
Victoria Harbour, Ontario
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
.
Many of the buildings he had constructed there have since been designated as heritage properties.
He would acquire further mills in his lifetime, including one in
Spragge, Ontario
The North Shore is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in the Algoma District. The township had a population of 497 in the Canada 2016 Census. It is along the north shore of the North Channel of Lake Huron (hence its name), wit ...
just one month before his death.
He was also the President of two
tanneries
Tanning may refer to:
*Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather
*Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin
**Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun
**Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...
, located at
Collingwood and
Burk's Falls
Burk's Falls is an incorporated village in the Almaguin Highlands region of Parry Sound District, Ontario, Canada, located north of Toronto and south of North Bay, Ontario. The village, and the waterfall on the site, were named (for himself) by ...
,
and was a director on the boards of the Toronto Paper Company (operating in
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...
) and the Canada Coating Mills (located in
Georgetown).
Waldie was also a director of the
Bank of Toronto
The Bank of Toronto was a Canadian bank that was founded in 1855 by a group of grain dealers and flour millers. On February 1, 1955, it merged with The Dominion Bank to form the Toronto-Dominion Bank, which is now known as the present-day TD Bank ...
,
and had also been vice-president of the Landed Banking and Loan Company in
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...
,
which later became part of Canada Permanent Trust.
He was elected to 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 ...
as a Member of the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
This is a li ...
in the
1887
Events
January–March
* January 11 – Louis Pasteur's anti-rabies treatment is defended in the Académie Nationale de Médecine, by Dr. Joseph Grancher.
* January 20
** The United States Senate allows the Navy to lease Pearl Har ...
election to represent the
riding of
Halton, later being re-elected in 1888, but defeated in the elections of
1891
Events
January–March
* January 1
** Paying of old age pensions begins in Germany.
** A strike of 500 Hungarian steel workers occurs; 3,000 men are out of work as a consequence.
**Germany takes formal possession of its new Africa ...
and
1896
Events
January–March
* January 2 – The Jameson Raid comes to an end, as Jameson surrenders to the Boers.
* January 4 – Utah is admitted as the 45th U.S. state.
* January 5 – An Austrian newspaper reports that Wil ...
. In that time, he developed a close friendship with
Wilfrid Laurier
Sir Henri Charles Wilfrid Laurier, ( ; ; November 20, 1841 – February 17, 1919) was a Canadian lawyer, statesman, and politician who served as the seventh prime minister of Canada from 1896 to 1911. The first French Canadian prime minis ...
, which proved useful after he left office.
Electoral record
Further reading
*
References
External links
1833 births
1907 deaths
Businesspeople from Ontario
Liberal Party of Canada MPs
Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario
Scottish emigrants to Canada
Canadian businesspeople in timber
People from Hawick
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