Daniel McLachlin
Encyclopedia
Renfrew South
Renfrew South was a federal and provincial electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1968, and in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. It was located in the province of Ontario...
in the 1st Canadian Parliament
1st Canadian Parliament
The 1st Canadian Parliament was in session from November 6, 1867 until July 8, 1872. The membership was set by the 1867 federal election from August 7 to September 20, 1867, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections until it was prorogued prior to the 1872 election.It was...
as a Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
from 1867 to 1869.
He was born in Pointe-Fortune
Pointe-Fortune, Quebec
Pointe-Fortune is a village in southwestern Quebec on the Ottawa River in Vaudreuil-Soulanges northwest of Montreal. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 507.-Population:Population trend-Language:...
in Lower Canada
Lower Canada
The Province of Lower Canada was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence...
in 1810 and had entered the timber trade in the Ottawa Valley
Ottawa River timber trade
The Ottawa River timber trade, also known as the Ottawa Valley timber trade or Ottawa River lumber trade, was the nineteenth century production of wood products by Canada on areas of the Ottawa River destined for British and American markets...
by 1834. In 1837, he moved to Bytown
Bytown
Bytown is the former name of Ottawa, Canada's capital city. It was founded on on September 26, 1826, incorporated as a town on January 1, 1850, and superseded by the incorporation of the City of Ottawa on January 1, 1855. The founding was marked by a sod turning, and a letter from Governor General...
and purchased cutting rights along the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
, Madawaska River
Madawaska River (Ontario)
The Madawaska River is a river in Ontario, Canada. The river is long and drains an area of . It originates at Source Lake in the highlands of Algonquin Park at an elevation of and flows east, dropping before emptying into the Ottawa River at Arnprior....
and Indian River
Indian River (Ontario)
There are five rivers named Indian River in Ontario, Canada:* The Indian River in the Kawartha Lakes/Peterborough region flows from Stoney Lake into Rice Lake...
s. He built sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
s and gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
s at the Chaudière Falls on the Ottawa. He also operated a general store in Bytown with his brother Hugh until 1855. In 1851, he relocated his timber business to Arnprior
Arnprior, Ontario
Arnprior is a town in Renfrew County, in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, Canada. It is located at the mouth of the Madawaska River, as it enters the Ottawa River in the Ottawa Valley...
, using the power of the Madawaska River to operate his mills. He also helped promote the development of the settlement there. The same year, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
The Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada was the lower house of the legislature for the Province of Canada, which consisted of the former provinces of Lower Canada, then known as Canada East and later the province of Quebec, and Upper Canada, then known as Canada West and later the...
for Bytown; he did not run in 1854 but was elected in 1861 for Renfrew
Renfrew County, Ontario
Renfrew is a county in the Canadian province of Ontario. In 2006, the population was 97,545 and county covered , giving a population density of . There are 17 official municipalities.-Government:...
. In 1867, he was elected by acclamation to the 1st Canadian Parliament
1st Canadian Parliament
The 1st Canadian Parliament was in session from November 6, 1867 until July 8, 1872. The membership was set by the 1867 federal election from August 7 to September 20, 1867, and it changed only somewhat due to resignations and by-elections until it was prorogued prior to the 1872 election.It was...
for Renfrew South. He resigned from politics and his business in 1869, leaving the business to his sons. He died in Arnprior in 1872.