Luther Hamilton Holton (January 22, 1817 – March 14, 1880) was a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
businessman and political figure. He represented
Châteauguay
Châteauguay ( , , ) is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, located both on the Chateauguay River and Lac St-Louis, which is a section of the St. Lawrence River. The population of the city of Châteauguay at the 2021 Cens ...
as 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 in 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 ...
from 1867 to 1880. He became Minister of Finance, Governor of
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
, board member of the
Montreal Board of Trade
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...
, and an early developer of the railroads in Canada.
Early life and education
He was born at Sheffield's Corners in
Leeds County
Leeds County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario. The county was first surveyed in 1792 as one of the nineteen counties created by Sir John Graves Simcoe in preparation for the United Empire Loyalists to settle here. The count ...
,
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 ...
in 1817 and went to
Montreal
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...
to live with his uncle after his father's death in 1826. At the age of 12, after completing his schooling, he became a clerk in his uncle's business. Seven years later, he joined the firm of Henderson and Hooker, who were involved in transporting goods and passengers along the
St. Lawrence
Saint Lawrence or Laurence ( la, Laurentius, lit. " laurelled"; 31 December AD 225 – 10 August 258) was one of the seven deacons of the city of Rome under Pope Sixtus II who were martyred in the persecution of the Christians that the Roma ...
and lower
Great Lakes
The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lakes ...
; in 1845, he became a senior partner in the firm, now Hooker and Holton, on Henderson's death.
In 1842, he helped found the
Unitarian Society of Montreal. In 1846, he was elected to the
Montreal Board of Trade
Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...
. He supported reciprocity in trade with the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and, for a time, he supported annexation. During the 1850s, he became involved in railway development and played an important role in the development of the
Grand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway (; french: Grand Tronc) was a railway system that operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The rai ...
in Canada. For a time, he was a director for the Grand Trunk and, in 1853, formed a firm with
Alexander Tilloch Galt
Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt, (September 6, 1817 – September 19, 1893) was a politician and a father of the Canadian Confederation.
Early life
Galt was born in Chelsea, England on September 6, 1817. He was the son of John Galt, a Scottish ...
and others which was contracted to extend their tracks from
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
to
Sarnia
Sarnia is a city in Lambton County, Ontario, Canada. It had a 2021 population of 72,047, and is the largest city on Lake Huron. Sarnia is located on the eastern bank of the junction between the Upper and Lower Great Lakes where Lake Huron fl ...
. Both Holton and Galt were heavily criticized for taking advantage of their government connections to win the contract and gain government subsidies.
He was a member of the
city council
A municipal council is the legislative body of a municipality or local government area. Depending on the location and classification of the municipality it may be known as a city council, town council, town board, community council, rural counc ...
for Montreal from 1850 to 1851. In 1854, he was elected to the
Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the legislature for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper C ...
and represented the city of Montreal. He supported an elected
Legislative Council, secularization of the
clergy reserves Clergy reserves were tracts of land in Upper Canada and Lower Canada reserved for the support of "Protestantism, Protestant clergy" by the Constitutional Act of 1791. One-seventh of all surveyed Crown lands were set aside, totaling and respectivel ...
and putting an end to
seigneurial tenure. In 1857, he retired from his association with the Grand Trunk with the intention of devoting his attention to politics but was defeated in the next general election.
In 1862, he was elected to the Legislative Council for Victoria District. In 1863, he resigned to become minister of finance in the government of
John Sandfield Macdonald
John Sandfield Macdonald, (December 12, 1812 – June 1, 1872) was the joint premier of the Province of Canada from 1862 to 1864. He was also the first premier of Ontario from 1867 to 1871, one of the four founding provinces created at Conf ...
and
Antoine-Aimé Dorion
Sir Antoine-Aimé Dorion (January 17, 1818May 31, 1891) was a French Canadian politician and jurist.
Early years
Dorion was born in Ste-Anne-de-la-Pérade into a family with liberal values that had been sympathetic to the Patriotes in 1837 ...
; when he ran for a seat in the Legislative Assembly, he was defeated in Montreal Centre but elected in Châteauguay. In 1864, Holton transferred the public accounts from the
Bank of Upper Canada
The Bank of Upper Canada was established in 1821 under a charter granted by the legislature of Upper Canada in 1819 to a group of Kingston merchants. The charter was appropriated by the more influential Executive Councillors to the Lt. Governor, t ...
to 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 ...
, which led to the failure of the Upper Canada bank a few years later. He opposed
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 ...
because of his concerns about its effect on Lower Canada, but, after 1867, helped promote its acceptance in Quebec.
He represented
Montréal-Centre in the Quebec Legislative Assembly from 1871 until 1874, when the
dual mandate
A dual mandate is the practice in which elected officials serve in more than one elected or other public position simultaneously. This practice is sometimes known as double jobbing in Britain and ''cumul des mandats'' in France; not to be confused ...
became illegal (holding seats both federally and provincially). He supported amnesty for
Louis Riel
Louis Riel (; ; 22 October 1844 – 16 November 1885) was a Canadian politician, a founder of the province of Manitoba, and a political leader of the Métis people. He led two resistance movements against the Government of Canada and its first ...
.
He also served as a Governor of
McGill University
McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
from 1876 to 1880.
He died in office at
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 ...
in 1880.
His son
Edward
Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”.
History
The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...
succeeded him as representative for Châteauguay in the House of Commons.
Electoral history
References
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holton, Lurther Hamilton
1817 births
1880 deaths
Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada East
Liberal Party of Canada MPs
Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec
Quebec Liberal Party MNAs
Anglophone Quebec people
Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)