Anson Greene Phelps Dodge (August 25, 1834 – January 1, 1918) was a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 lumber dealer and political figure. He represented York North

York North

York North was an electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from Confederation in 1867 until 2004. It is also an electoral district that was represented in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1867 to 2007...

 in the Canadian House of Commons

Canadian House of Commons

The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...

 from 1872 to 1874 as a Conservative

Conservative Party of Canada (historical)

The Conservative Party of Canada has gone by a variety of names over the years since Canadian Confederation. Initially known as the "Liberal-Conservative Party", it dropped "Liberal" from its name in 1873, although many of its candidates continued to use this name.As a result of World War I and the...

 member.

He was born in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, the son of William E. Dodge

William E. Dodge

William Earle Dodge, Sr. was a New York businessman, referred to as one of the "Merchant Princes" of Wall Street in the years leading up to the American Civil War. Dodge was also a noted abolitionist, and Native American rights activist and served as the president of the National Temperance...

 and Melissa Phelps, and educated in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. He married Rebecca Wainwright Grew in 1859. In 1872, he was naturalized by an act of parliament. Dodge established lumber mills on Georgian Bay

Georgian Bay

Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...

.

Following a variety of occupations, Anson Dodge began his own lumber career in 1864 at Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Williamsport is a city in and the county seat of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. In 2009, the population was estimated at 29,304...

. First attracted to the forests of Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

 in 1866, with an invitation from Henry W. Sage

Henry W. Sage

Henry W. Sage was a wealthy New York State businessman, philanthropist, and early benefactor and trustee of Cornell University....

, possibly at a time when Sage was considering disposing of his Bell Ewart mill. After a tour of the facilities at Bell Ewart, Anson continued his trek northward to Oakley township in Muskoka where Sage had recently acquired timber berths. Anson also purchased timber in the township and a small mill on Lake Simcoe

Lake Simcoe

Lake Simcoe is a lake in Southern Ontario, Canada, the fourth-largest lake wholly in the province, after Lake Nipigon, Lac Seul, and Lake Nipissing. At the time of the first European contact in the 17th century the lake was called Ouentironk by the Huron natives...

 at Atherly, near Orillia

Orillia, Ontario

Orillia, pronounced ōrĭl'ēə, is a city located in Simcoe County in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe, 135 kilometres north of Toronto.Originally incorporated as a village in 1867, the history of...

. Dodge continued his spending spree, purchasing timber berths and mills with various partners, establishing his Georgian Bay Lumber Company in 1869, with a new mill at Byng Inlet

Byng Inlet, Ontario

Byng Inlet is a ghost town in Parry Sound District, Ontario. For a period in the nineteenth century it was home to one of largest sawmill operations in Canada. The name of the town came from that of the English Admiral John Byng...

.

At Parry Sound, he was one of John Classon Miller

John Classon Miller

John Classon Miller was an Ontario lumber merchant and political figure. He represented Muskoka and Parry Sound in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1875 to 1882 as a Liberal member....

's partners in the establishment of the Parry Sound Lumber Company in 1872. Dodge's rapid expansion into the Canadian lumber trade, was followed by bankruptcy as a result of the Panic of 1873

Panic of 1873

The Panic of 1873 triggered a severe international economic depression in both Europe and the United States that lasted until 1879, and even longer in some countries. The depression was known as the Great Depression until the 1930s, but is now known as the Long Depression...

. Anson's share of the Parry Sound firm was sold to J C Miller in 1877.

He returned to the United States to manage family lumber interests in Georgia

Georgia (U.S. state)

Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

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