William James Scott (1812–1882) was a Scottish-born farmer and political figure in

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 ...

. He represented South Waterloo in 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 ...

from 1858 to 1861 as an independent Conservative. In Scotland he was referenced as ''Lord Campfield''.

Canada years

A native of

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

, Scott came to Canada in 1832 and purchased a lot from

Absalom Shade Absalom Shade ( – March 15, 1862) was a businessman and political figure in Upper Canada. He was born in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania around 1793 and worked as a carpenter in Buffalo, New York. In 1816, he was hired by William Dickson to ...

. He built a sawmill and flour mill which formed the basis for the village of New Hamburg. He served as postmaster for New Hamburg from 1851 to 1857. Scott also was a member of the first council for Wilmot Township, serving three years as reeve, and also served on the first

Waterloo County Waterloo County was a county in the Canadian province of Ontario from 1853 until 1973. It was the direct predecessor of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo. Situated on a subset of land within the Haldimand Tract, the traditional territory of ...

council. He raised Devon cattle and helped found the county agricultural society. Scott also served as

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

for the local militia (likely part of the volunteer of the

Non-Permanent Active Militia The Non-Permanent Active Militia (NPAM) was the name of Canada's part-time volunteer military force from 1855 to 1940. The NPAM (also called "the Militia" though that term could also encompass the full-time standing army known as the Permanent A ...

that existed in

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 ...

). He built his home at 3332 Bleams Road East, New Hamburg, in 1858. It is now on the register of historic places.

Later life

In 1867, following his wife's death and estrangement from his daughter, Scott left Canada for

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

, where he settled in

Paterangi Paterangi is a settlement in the Waikato region of New Zealand's North Island. It is located 10 km northwest of Te Awamutu. It is close to the site of one of the most strongly fortified pa built during the New Zealand wars of the late 19th ...

becoming a wealthy landowner.

References

1812 births 1882 deaths Members of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada from Canada West People from the Regional Municipality of Waterloo Mayors of places in Ontario {{Ontario-politician-stub