William Todd (July 10, 1803 – October 5, 1873) was an American-born businessman who was offered a seat in the

Senate of Canada The Senate of Canada (french: region=CA, Sénat du Canada) is the upper house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Crown and the House of Commons, they comprise the bicameral legislature of Canada. The Senate is modelled after the B ...

but refused to move to

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

and

letters patent Letters patent ( la, litterae patentes) ( always in the plural) are a type of legal instrument in the form of a published written order issued by a monarch, president or other head of state, generally granting an office, right, monopoly, titl ...

were not issued. He was affiliated with the

Liberal Party of Canada The Liberal Party of Canada (french: Parti libéral du Canada, region=CA) is a federal political party in Canada. The party espouses the principles of liberalism,McCall, Christina; Stephen Clarkson"Liberal Party". ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' ...

. Todd was the son of Hannah Worthley Todd and William Todd, a Maine merchant who prospered in the West Indies trade until the Napoleonic Wars ruined the business and he moved his family to

New Brunswick New Brunswick (french: Nouveau-Brunswick, , locally ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. It is the only province with both English and ...

in 1811. Young William was succeeding as a merchant at Milltown on the St. Croix River by the time he was age 22. He eventually became president of the St Croix and Penobscot Railroad and president of the St. Stephen Branch Railroad (which became the New Brunswick and Canada Railway). He was a founder and director of the St. Stephen's Bank in

St. Stephen, New Brunswick St. Stephen (2016 population: 4,415) is a Canadian town in Charlotte County, New Brunswick, situated on the east bank of the St. Croix River around the intersection of New Brunswick Route 170 and the southern terminus of New Brunswick Route ...

, and was bank president from 1849 until 1873. Although he was one of the senators named in Her Majesty's Proclamation of 1867, Todd declined to serve.

References

1803 births 1873 deaths 19th-century American businesspeople Place of death unknown People from North Yarmouth, Maine Businesspeople from Maine Businesspeople from New Brunswick 19th-century Canadian businesspeople {{NewBrunswick-politician-stub