William Melville Drennan (November 15, 1853 – May 28, 1900) was a merchant and politician in

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 ...

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 served as mayor of

Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the five most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...

from 1890 to 1891. The son of Samuel Trangott Drennan, a native of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, he was born in Kingston. Canada West, and was educated at the Kingston College Institute. At the age of 15, he worked in the hardware business in Montreal and later worked as a travelling salesman in

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 * '' ...

and Canada. Drennan joined the Princess of Wales Own Rifles in 1863, serving as an Ensign during the Fenian Raids of 1870 for which he received the

Canada General Service Medal The Canada General Service Medal was a campaign medal awarded by the Canadian Government to both Imperial and Canadian forces for duties related to the Fenian raids between 1866 and 1871. The medal was initially issued in 1899 and had to be ap ...

. He then served as a Captain in the Kingston Field Battery. In 1878, Drennan married May E. Moore. He then went into business on his own as a hardware merchant. He later entered the furniture business and, after that, became an

undertaker A funeral director, also known as an undertaker (British English) or mortician (American English), is a professional involved in the business of funeral rites. These tasks often entail the embalming and burial or cremation of the dead, as w ...

. Drennan served as an alderman for Cataraqui ward and also served on the public school board. He died in Kingston at the age of 46.

References

1853 births 1900 deaths Mayors of Kingston, Ontario {{Ontario-mayor-stub