William David McPherson (August 22, 1863 – May 2, 1929) was an

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 C ...

barrister and political figure. He represented Toronto West and then

Toronto Northwest Toronto Northwest was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1925 to 1935. It was located in the city of Toronto in the province of Ontario. This riding was created in 1924 from parts of Parkdale, Toronto ...

in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario 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 in ...

member from 1908 to 1919. He was born in Moore Township,

Lambton County Lambton County is a county in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is bordered on the north by Lake Huron, which is drained by the St. Clair River, the county's western border and part of the Canada-United States border. To the south is Lake Saint Cl ...

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 ...

, the son of William McPherson, and educated in Strathroy. He married Nettie Jane Batten. McPherson was a Grand Master of the

Orange Lodge The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants, particularly those of Ulster Scots heritage. It als ...

for Canada. McPherson was called to the Bar in 1885 and practised law in Toronto. He was in partnership with John Murray Clark from 1897 to 1904. Together they produced Canada's first text on mining law, The Laws of Mines in Canada. It was an impressive comparative law study that was reviewed in 12 Harvard Law Review (1898-9). After leaving the partnership he published The Law of Elections in Canada in 1905, evidencing his new interest in Canadian politics. He was a member of the Toronto Public School Board and Toronto Library Board for 10 years before running unsuccessfully for Mayor of Toronto in 1904. He served as Provincial Secretary and Registrar from 1916 to 1919. He died in 1929.

References

Notes

Citations

* ''Canadian Parliamentary Guide, 1916'', EJ Chambers

External links

* 1863 births 1929 deaths Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs Provincial Secretaries of Ontario {{ProgressiveConservative-Ontario-MPP-stub