Josiah Williams "Si" Pearce (January 18, 1850 – May 25, 1938) was a merchant and politician in

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 ...

, Canada. He represented Hastings North in the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...

from 1902 to 1911 as a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

member. The son of Peter Pearce and Almira Edmonds, he was born in Norwood,

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 ...

, and was educated there. Pearce began working as a clerk in a general store there, later moving to Marmora, where he opened his own business. He served as reeve for Marmora from 1890 to 1893 and from 1895 to 1902, and was warden for

Hastings County Hastings County is located in the province of Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it is located on the border of Eastern Ontario and Central Ontario. Hastings County is the second-largest county in Ontario, after Renfrew County, and its county sea ...

in 1901. He was also secretary-treasurer for the Pearce Lumber Company. Pearce built the first retail mall in Marmora which included a bakery, a

livery A livery is an identifying design, such as a uniform, ornament, symbol or insignia that designates ownership or affiliation, often found on an individual or vehicle. Livery will often have elements of the heraldry relating to the individual or ...

store and the town newspaper office. Pearce was married three times: first to Bessie Bramley in 1877, then to Julia C. Houston in 1891 and finally to Mary. From 1911 to 1923, he was bursar for the Ontario School for the Deaf in Belleville. Pearce died in Belleville at the age of 88.

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* 1850 births 1938 deaths Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs {{ProgressiveConservative-Ontario-MPP-stub