William Manley German (May 25, 1851 – March 31, 1933) was an Ontario barrister and political figure. He represented Welland in the

Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA, french: Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by ...

from 1894 to 1900 and in 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 ...

from 1891 to 1892, from 1900 to 1917 and from 1921 to 1925 as a Liberal member. He was born in Hillier Township, Prince Edward County, Canada West, the son of George German whose parents were United Empire Loyalists from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

state. He studied at Victoria College in

Cobourg Cobourg ( ) is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in Southern Ontario east of Toronto and east of Oshawa. It is the largest town in and seat of Northumberland County. Its nearest neighbour is Port Hope, to the west. It is ...

. German articled in law with

Lewis Wallbridge Lewis Wallbridge (November 27, 1816 – October 20, 1887) was a lawyer, judge and political figure in Canada West. In 1882, he was appointed Chief Justice of Manitoba. He was born in Belleville in 1816. He studied at Upper Canada College, art ...

in Belleville and then Edward Fitzgerald in Toronto. He was called to the bar in 1883 and set up practice in Welland. In 1885, he married Henrietta Aylmer Macdonald. German was deputy reeve for Welland in 1890. He was elected to the House of Commons in 1891 but unseated after an appeal. German resigned his seat in the provincial assembly in 1900 to sit in the federal parliament. He ran unsuccessfully in 1917 and 1926 for the Welland seat in the House of Commons. German introduced legislation in the House of Commons to establish a bridge commission which led to the construction of the Peace Bridge between

Fort Erie, Ontario Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is directly across the river from Buffalo, New York, and is the site of Old Fort Erie which played a prominent role in the War of 1812. Fort Erie is one of N ...

and Buffalo, New York; similar legislation had been introduced in the United States Congress and the New York State Legislature.Transport Canada – Surface Infrastructure Programs – Bridges
at www.tc.gc.ca He was vice-president of the Buffalo and Fort Erie Public Bridge Company established to build the bridge.

References

*
''The Canadian parliamentary companion, 1891'' JA GemmillMember's parliamentary history for the Legislative Assembly of Ontario''The History of the County of Welland, Ontario, its past and present'' (1887)
{{DEFAULTSORT:German, William M 1851 births 1933 deaths Ontario Liberal Party MPPs Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Ontario People from Prince Edward County, Ontario