William Hamilton Merritt III (June 8, 1855 in St. Catharines,

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 Ca ...

– October 26, 1918) was a Canadian soldier, author, and mining engineer.Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online: Merritt, William Hamilton. http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=7603&&PHPSESSID=0r7c762ec31smtao0bcqqi0lm0 . University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2000. His grandfather,

William Hamilton Merritt William Hamilton Merritt (July 3, 1793July 5, 1862) was a businessman and politician in the Niagara Peninsula of Upper Canada in the early 19th century. Although he was born in the United States, his family was Loyalist and eventually settled ...

, was a politician in Ontario. Confusingly, his father and cousin also shared his name; even though he is now known as William Hamilton Merritt III, during his life, he did not refer to himself as the third."Lieutenant-Colonel William Hamilton Merritt III." Nicola Valley Historical Quarterly, Spring 2007: 21.3.

Biography

After completing schooling in Ontario at

Trinity College School Trinity College School (TCS) is a co-educational, independent boarding and day school located in Port Hope, Ontario, Canada. TCS was founded on May 1, 1865, more than two years before Canadian Confederation. It includes a Senior School ...

and

Upper Canada College Upper Canada College (UCC) is an elite, all-boys, private school in Toronto, Ontario, operating under the International Baccalaureate program. The college is widely described as the country's most prestigious preparatory school, and has produce ...

, Merritt studied at Clifton College and the Royal School of Mines in England, where he received his A.R.S.M. (Associate of the Royal Society of Mines). Upon returning to Canada, he published pamphlets on mining and taught at the School of Mining in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toro ...

. He was elected vice-president of the Ontario Mining Institute. Merritt also pursued a career as a soldier in the Canadian Militia. In 1882 he joined

The Governor General's Body Guard The Governor General's Body Guard was royal guard regiment of the Canadian Army that formed part of the country's Household Division. The Body Guard was the senior regiment of the Canadian Army and the equivalent of the British Army's Life Guards ( ...

, where he was promoted quickly through the ranks. In 1903, he became lieutenant-colonel. Merritt served in 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 the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

, but by 1914 he was too old to serve in the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He maintained an interest in military matters, though, and published a book, ''Canada and National Service'', which advocated compulsory military service. Merritt was also president of the Canadian Defence League, which advocated universal military training. The city of

Merritt, British Columbia Merritt is a city in the Nicola Valley of the south-central Interior of British Columbia, Canada. It is northeast of Vancouver. Situated at the confluence of the Nicola and Coldwater rivers, it is the first major community encountered after ...

, is named after William Hamilton Merritt III, due to his role in bringing the railway through the

Nicola Valley The Nicola Country, also known as the Nicola Valley and often referred to simply as The Nicola, and originally Nicolas' Country or Nicholas' Country, adapted to Nicola's Country and simplified since, is a region in the Southern Interior of British C ...

. In 1890 he married Margaret Simpson, daughter of Toronto merchant Robert Simpson. In 1891, Merritt prospected for coal near where the city is today. Finding it, he organized the Nicola, Kamloops and Similkameen Coal and Railway Company to extend the rail line through to transport coal out of the valley. The railway also allowed settlement and industry to flourish in the valley. As demand for coal grew, the company was eventually bought by the

Canadian Pacific Railway The Canadian Pacific Railway (french: Chemin de fer Canadien Pacifique) , also known simply as CPR or Canadian Pacific and formerly as CP Rail (1968–1996), is a Canadian Class I railway incorporated in 1881. The railway is owned by Canadi ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Merritt, William 1855 births 1918 deaths Deaths from Spanish flu Canadian Militia officers Canadian non-fiction writers Canadian mining engineers Canadian military personnel of the Second Boer War