| John Flesher | |
| Office1: | Ontario MPP |
| Term Start1: | 1875 |
| Term End1: | 1879 |
| Predecessor1: | George McManus |
| Successor1: | Charles Robinson |
| Constituency1: | Cardwell |
| Party: | Conservative |
| Birth Date: | 8 June 1833 |
| Birth Place: | Duffield, Derbyshire, England |
| Occupation: | Merchant |
| Children: | 9 |
John Flesher (June 8, 1833 - March 5, 1910) was an Ontario merchant and political figure.
Flesher was born in Duffield, Derbyshire, England in 1833,[1] the son of Rev. John Flesher, a Methodist preacher and Jane (née Cawood) Flesher. He was educated in a collegiate institute at Ramsgate.
Flesher emigrated to Canada West in 1847 at the age of 14 with his older brother William, who was to become an MP and a prominent figure in the settlement of Grey County.[2] John first settled in Flesherton, the village that his brother had founded, where he helped his brother operate a grist mill and saw mill. In 1855, he married Mary Ann Fowler, the only daughter of Rev. William Fowler of New York City; together they would raise twelve children, nine of whom survived infancy.
In 1857, he became the Flesherton post master, a position his brother had also held,[3] but after six months, he resigned and moved his family to Albion, Ontario to open a store. He returned almost immediately to Grey County, then the following year, he purchased a mill property owned by his brother in Adjala Township, where for the next ten years he manufactured flour and lumber. He also started his political career, serving as a school trustee.
In 1868, he moved to the village of Orangeville, Ontario, where he operated a store for a few years before switching to brokerage and conveyancing. He also became a Master Mason.
When Orangeville was incorporated as a town in 1874, he was elected to the first town council, and served as councillor for several terms.[4]
Flesher was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the Cardwell district as a Conservative from 1875 to 1879, and was lauded as "a conscientious and earnest advocate of the principles of that party..."