William Schurman (c. 1743 – September 15, 1819) was a businessman and politician of

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...

. He was a member of the

Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island (french: Assemblée législative de l'Île-du-Prince-Édouard) is the sole chamber of the General Assembly of Prince Edward Island. The Legislative Assembly meets at Province House, which is locat ...

from 1785 to 1787. He was born in New Rochelle, New York, the son of Jacob Schureman, of

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

descent, and Jane Parcot, of

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

descent. In 1768, he married Jane Bonnet. Schurman married Elizabeth Hyatt in 1778. Schurman remained loyal to Britain during the American revolution and, in 1783, immigrated to Tryon on St. John's Island (later Prince Edward Island). He settled at Bedeque the following year, setting up a store in his house and engaging in trade with a ship that he owned. Besides serving in the colony's assembly, he was also a justice of the peace and overseer for roads. After losing his ship in 1799, Schurman became involved in shipbuilding. In 1808, he bought a wooded area along the Wilmot River, constructed a sawmill and entered into the trade in lumber. He died at his home in the Wilmot Valley in 1819. His great-grandson

Jacob Gould Schurman Jacob Gould Schurman (May 2, 1854 – August 12, 1942) was a Canadian-born American educator and diplomat, who served as President of Cornell University and United States Ambassador to Germany. Early life Schurman was born at Freetown, Prince Ed ...

later became president of Cornell University and an American ambassador.

External links

Biography at the ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online''
1819 deaths Politicians from New Rochelle, New York United Empire Loyalists Huguenot participants in the American Revolution Members of the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island Year of birth uncertain Businesspeople from New Rochelle, New York {{PrinceEdwardIsland-politician-stub