John McKellar (June 10, 1833 – February 3, 1900) was a businessman and political figure 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. He was the first mayor of

Fort William, Ontario Fort William was a city in Ontario, Canada, located on the Kaministiquia River, at its entrance to Lake Superior. It amalgamated with Port Arthur and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay in January 1970. Since t ...

(later part of

Thunder Bay Thunder Bay is a city in and the seat of Thunder Bay District, Ontario, Canada. It is the most populous municipality in Northwestern Ontario and the second most populous (after Greater Sudbury) municipality in Northern Ontario; its populati ...

), serving from 1892 to 1898. He was born in Mosa Township,

London District, Upper Canada The London District was a historic district in Upper Canada. It was formed in 1798 from parts of the Home and Western Districts, and lasted until its abolition in 1850. Historic evolution The District was formed by an Act of the Parliament of ...

, the son of Duncan McKellar and Margaret Brodie, both immigrants from

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, and was schooled at home. The family moved to Ontonagon County in 1855 but left

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...

at the start of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

. McKellar and his brothers Peter and Donald laid claim to a number of mining properties north of

Lake Superior Lake Superior in central North America is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface areaThe Caspian Sea is the largest lake, but is saline, not freshwater. and the third-largest by volume, holding 10% of the world's surface fresh wa ...

; the profitable mines were generally sold to American interests. With the aid of his cousin

Archibald McKellar Archibald McKellar (3 February 1816 – 11 February 1894) was briefly leader of Canada's Ontario Liberal Party from 1867 to 1868 and, unofficially, the first Leader of the Opposition in Ontario's new provincial legislature (though he was ...

, he received a land grant on the Kaministiquia River within the future borders of Fort William. McKellar served on the council for the municipality of Shuniah which governed the Lakehead townships. In 1881, six townships, including Neebing Additional Township where McKellar's property was located, separated from Shuniah and formed a new municipality, known as the Municipality of Neebing. McKellar later became a councillor, then reeve for Neebing 1888-92. He campaigned for the incorporation of the town of Fort William and served as its first mayor. McKellar died in Fort William at the age of 66. The John McKellar Memorial Hospital (later McKellar General Hospital) was named in his honour in 1902.

References

* * F. Brent Scollie, Thunder Bay Mayors & Councillors 1873-1945 (Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society, 2000), 206-207. {{DEFAULTSORT:McKellar, John 1833 births 1900 deaths Mayors of Fort William, Ontario