James Ferrier (politician) explained

Honorific-Prefix:The Honourable
James Ferrier
Order:4th
Office:Mayor of Montreal
Term Start:1844
Term End:1846
Predecessor:Joseph Bourret
Successor:John Easton Mills
Office2:Member of the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada for Victoria
Term Start2:1847
Term End2:1867
Office3:Member of the Legislative Council of Quebec for Victoria
Successor3:Hugh Mackay
Term Start3:1867
Term End3:1888
Office4:Senator for Shawinegan, Quebec
Appointed4:Royal Proclamation
Successor4:Hippolyte Montplaisir
Term Start4:1867
Term End4:1888
Birth Date:22 October 1800
Birth Place:Auchtermuchty, Fife, Scotland
Death Place:Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Profession:merchant

James Ferrier (22 October 1800  - 30 May 1888) was a Scottish-Canadian politician.

Life and career

Born in Auchtermuchty, Fife, Scotland,[1] Ferrier migrated to Canada in 1821 and established himself in Montreal, Quebec, as a successful Scots-Quebecer merchant. He served as a city councillor of Montreal from 1841 to 1848.

In 1842, Ferrier took the lead in establishing the High School of Montreal, supported by William Lunn, William Collis Meredith, the Rev. Henry Esson,[2] and others, one of their purposes being to provide a solution to the growing influence of Anglicanism in education at the time. The new school opened in 1843.[3]

Ferrier became the fourth mayor of Montreal, holding office from 1844 to 1847. He served on the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada from 1847 until Confederation, after which he was appointed to the Senate of Canada by Royal Proclamation on 23 October 1867. He sat with the Conservative group and represented the Senatorial Division of Shawinegan until his death in 1888. From 1867 until his death he also served on the Legislative Council of Quebec, sitting for the division of Victoria.

Ferrier was chancellor of McGill University from 1884 to 1888. He is commemorated by Ferrier Street in northwestern Côte-des-Neiges, Montreal.

Notes and References

  1. Book: Dobson. David. Scottish-American Gravestones 1700-1900. 1998. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc.. Baltimore, MD. 9780806348032.
  2. Elizabeth Ann Kerr McDougall, “ESSON, HENRY”, in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, volume 8 (University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003), accessed 28 December 2017
  3. Peter E. Rider, Heather McNabb, Kingdom of the Mind: How the Scots Helped Make Canada (McGill-Queen's Press - MQUP, 5 April 2006), p. 273