James Matthew Whyte (ca 1788 – June 9, 1843) was a Scottish-born soldier, land owner and bank president in

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 th ...

. The son of James Whyte, he served as a lieutenant and later captain in the

1st King's Dragoon Guards The 1st King's Dragoon Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army. The regiment was raised by Sir John Lanier in 1685 as the 2nd Queen's Regiment of Horse, named in honour of Queen Mary, consort of King James II. It was renamed the 2nd Ki ...

, resigning in 1815. He later was lieutenant-colonel of the Surrey Regiment of Horse in

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

. Whyte took over a plantation in Jamaica in 1811. He served on the island's council and as a justice of

assize The courts of assize, or assizes (), were periodic courts held around England and Wales until 1972, when together with the quarter sessions they were abolished by the Courts Act 1971 and replaced by a single permanent Crown Court. The assizes e ...

. In 1834, he sold his assets on the island and moved to Canada, settling in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

. He became involved with the establishment of the Gore Bank (later part of the

Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC; french: Banque canadienne impériale de commerce) is a Canadian multinational banking and financial services corporation headquartered at CIBC Square in the Financial District of Toronto, Ontario. ...

) and the London and Gore Rail Road. Whyte served as president of the Gore Bank from 1836 to 1839 and was a member of the board of directors for the railroad. He also held real estate in Harwich Township in Kent County and Picton. In 1836, Whyte build Barton Lodge, one of the city's finest homes, on the Hamilton mountain. He died in Hamilton. His home was inherited by his brother John Lionel Whyte.

References

Year of birth uncertain 1843 deaths Pre-Confederation Canadian businesspeople People from Hamilton, Ontario 1st King's Dragoon Guards officers {{Canada-business-bio-stub