David Alexander Gordon 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...

 politician.

Political career

Born in Wallaceburg

Wallaceburg, Ontario

Wallaceburg is an unincorporated community and town located in the municipality of Chatham-Kent in Southern Ontario, Canada. Originally a small settlement, it was recognized for its significant contribution to the lumber and boat building industries and strategic location along the banks of the...

, Canada West, the son of Aaron Gordon, Scotch, and Jane Steinchoff, German, Gordon educated at the Public Schools in Wallaceburg. A manufacturer, he was a town councillor and mayor of Wallaceburg from 1898 to 1900. He was an unsuccessful candidate for 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...

 for the electoral district of Bothwell at the general elections of 1900

Canadian federal election, 1900

The Canadian federal election of 1900 was held on November 7 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 9th Parliament of Canada. As a result of the election, the Liberal Party, led by Prime Minister Wilfrid Laurier, was re-elected to a second majority government, defeating the...

. He was elected in 1904

Canadian federal election, 1904

The Canadian federal election of 1904 was held on November 3 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 10th Parliament of Canada...

 for the electoral district of Kent East. 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...

, he was re-elected in 1908

Canadian federal election, 1908

The Canadian federal election of 1908 was held on October 26 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 11th Parliament of Canada. Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier's Liberal Party of Canada was re-elected for a fourth consecutive term in government with a majority government...

 and 1911

Canadian federal election, 1911

The Canadian federal election of 1911 was held on September 21 to elect members of the Canadian House of Commons of the 12th Parliament of Canada.-Summary:...

.

His son Arthur St. Clair Gordon later served as an Ontario cabinet minister.

Business career

Although D.A. Gordon had a successful regional and national political career he is known locally as the “Father of Modern Wallaceburg”. He was most likely given this title for his work in establishing four of Wallaceburg’s most successful industries: Wallaceburg Cooperage Company (1887), Sydenham Glass Company (1894), Canada and Dominion Sugar Company (1901), and the Wallaceburg Brass & Iron Limited Company (1905). He played various leadership roles in starting the aforementioned businesses, however, his ability to raise investment funds was invaluable.

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