Richard Reid Dobell, (January 27, 1836 – January 11, 1902) 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 politician.Who Was Who, Published by A&C Black Limited. Online edition, 2020

Biography

Born in

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, and educated at

Liverpool College Liverpool College is a school in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, England. It was one of the thirteen founding members of the Headmasters' Conference (HMC). History Liverpool College was the first of many public schools founded in the Victorian E ...

, he came to

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

in 1857 and started a lumber business. With his brother-in-law, Thomas Beckett, he founder the firm R. R. Dobell & Co, Quebec, at one time one of the largest of its kind in Canada. He took an active interest in public affairs, was elected President of the Quebec Board of Trade, and was a Harbour Commissioner for that city. He actively promoted the cold storage principle in transatlantic steamers, and was President of the Cold Storage Company of Quebec. Other appointments included Director of the Quebec Railway Bridge Company. In 1895 he unsuccessfully stood as an independent candidate for 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 ...

, but the next year was elected as the

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 ...

candidate for the riding of

Quebec West Quebec West (french: Québec-Ouest) was a federal electoral district in Quebec, Canada, that was represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1935, and from 1949 to 1968. It was created by the ''British North America Act'', 1867 ...

in the 1896 federal election, and was re-elected in

1900 As of March 1 ( O.S. February 17), when the Julian calendar acknowledged a leap day and the Gregorian calendar did not, the Julian calendar fell one day further behind, bringing the difference to 13 days until February 28 ( O.S. February 15), 2 ...

. From 1896 to 1902, he was a

Minister without Portfolio A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister who does not head a particular ministry. The sinecure is particularly common in countries ruled by coalition governments and a cabinet w ...

in the cabinet of

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 ...

. He was a prominent supporter of the cause of Imperial federation, and was a founder of the

British Empire League The British Empire League existed from 1895 to 1955; its purpose was to secure permanent unity for the British Empire. Origin The British Empire League was a society founded by Lord Avebury (1834-1913), Lord Roberts (1832-1914) and Lord Strathc ...

. He died on 13 January 1902 of a head injury caused by falling from a horse while visiting his son-in-law at

Folkestone Folkestone ( ) is a port town on the English Channel, in Kent, south-east England. The town lies on the southern edge of the North Downs at a valley between two cliffs. It was an important harbour and shipping port for most of the 19th and 20t ...

, England.

Family

Dobell married Elizabeth Frances Macpherson, daughter of Sir David Lewis Macpherson, businessman and later Canadian senator. His son,

Charles Macpherson Dobell Lieutenant General Sir Charles Macpherson Dobell (22 June 1869 – 17 October 1954) was a Canadian soldier who served with the Royal Welch Fusiliers of the British Army. Career Born in Quebec City, the son of Richard Reid Dobell, an MP, and a g ...

, was a Major General in the British Army.

References

* * 1837 births 1902 deaths Accidental deaths in England English emigrants to pre-Confederation Quebec Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Quebec Members of the King's Privy Council for Canada Pre-Confederation Canadian businesspeople Businesspeople from Liverpool Politicians from Liverpool Immigrants to the Province of Canada Anglophone Quebec people People educated at Liverpool College 19th-century English businesspeople {{Liberal-Quebec-MP-stub

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References