Russell Wilson (July 1864 – November 13, 1936) was a politician and merchant in

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. He had served as a member of the

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

s city council and went on to become the city's mayor in 1926. Wilson was born near

Almonte, Ontario Almonte ( ; ) is a former mill town in Lanark County, in the eastern portion of Ontario, Canada. Formerly a separate municipality, Almonte is a ward of the town of Mississippi Mills, which was created on January 1, 1998, by the merging of Almont ...

to Robert and Jane Wilson. He received his education in

Carleton County Carleton County (2016 population 26,220) is located in west-central New Brunswick, Canada. The western border is Aroostook County, Maine, Aroostook County, Maine, the northern border is Victoria County, New Brunswick, Victoria County, and the ...

and, with his family,

homestead Homestead may refer to: *Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses *Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres *Homestead principle, a legal concept th ...

ed on Beaver Creek near

Hanley Hanley is one of the six towns that, along with Burslem, Longton, Fenton, Tunstall and Stoke-upon-Trent, amalgamated to form the City of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. Hanley is the ''de facto'' city centre, having long been the ...

in 1883. The family had bought 190 acres of land in Beaver Creek. After leaving home, Wilson worked in

Moose Jaw Moose Jaw is the fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are known as Moose Javians ...

, as guide for the transport department during the

North-West Rebellion The North-West Rebellion (french: Rébellion du Nord-Ouest), also known as the North-West Resistance, was a resistance by the Métis people under Louis Riel and an associated uprising by First Nations Cree and Assiniboine of the District of S ...

and served as a railway contractor along with his brother from 1884 to 1885. Wilson started merchandising in dray in 1883. From 1893 to 1896, he traded in food and livery along with H. McDonald. Wilson and his brothers sold the property after their parents moved to Saskatoon in 1899. After selling their property Wilson continued his business in partnership with his brother Archibald. The two brothers started Wilson Bros., 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 ...

business; they later sold the company and began trading in carriages, harnesses and automobiles. In 1908, he married Ida Dunham of Brockville. Wilson served as the director of the Saskatoon Milling Company (later sold to

Quaker Oats The Quaker Oats Company, known as Quaker, is an American food conglomerate based in Chicago. It has been owned by PepsiCo since 2001. History Precursor miller companies In the 1850s, Ferdinand Schumacher and Robert Stuart founded oat mills. S ...

), and the Northwestern Telephone Company. He also served on the Soldier Land Settlement Board in 1919, and on Saskatoon's city council from 1923 to 1925. Wilson was a member of the Saskatoon School Board from 1906 to 1910 and from 1911 to 1912. After the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

was established in 1907, Wilson became a member of the University's senate in 1914. In November 1925, Wilson was elected mayor of Saskatoon by acclamation, succeeding

William Harvey Clare William Harvey Clare (1874 – February 26, 1956) was a politician in Saskatchewan, Canada. He served as mayor of Saskatoon from 1924 to 1925. He was born in Ottawa, Ontario and came to Winnipeg, Manitoba to attend teacher's college. He taugh ...

. After he suffered two

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

s, the city's council granted him a leave of absence in September 1926. He was the shortest-serving mayor in Saskatoon's history.

George Wesley Norman George Wesley Norman (October 14, 1883 – November 12, 1970) was a printer and political figure in Saskatchewan. He represented Saskatoon City in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan from 1934 to 1938 as a Liberal. He was born in Allist ...

succeeded him. After suffering another stroke Wilson died in 1936. He was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. His brother

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

served as the first mayor of Saskatoon after it was incorporated as a town on July 1, 1903. In 2006 it was found that a joint account (which he shared with a priest) had a total of $938.06 in it and the amount had remained unclaimed for the past 77 years. The account was not interest-bearing, so the balance had not changed since 1929. Whether the account has been claimed or not is unknown.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wislon, Russell 1864 births 1936 deaths Mayors of Saskatoon People from Lanark County