David Lewis Macpherson
Encyclopedia
Sir David Lewis Macpherson, (September 12, 1818 – August 16, 1896) was a Canadian businessman and political figure. He was a member of the Senate of Canada from 1867 to 1896. He was knighted for his service to the country in 1884.
He was born in Castle Leathers in Inverness parish, Scotland
in 1818 and came to Canada with his family in 1835. He became a clerk in the Montreal
office of his older brother's shipping business, which transported passengers and freight in Upper
and Lower Canada
. In 1842, he became a senior partner in the business. In partnership with Alexander Tilloch Galt
and Luther Hamilton Holton
, Macpherson acquired the shares of the Montreal and Kingston Railway, knowing that their rail line was required as part of a planned railway connection between Montreal and Hamilton
. He was part of a contracting firm formed to extend the Grand Trunk Railway
in Upper Canada. In 1853, he moved to Toronto
. He helped set up the Toronto Rolling Mills Company which supplied track to the Grand Trunk. He also served as a director of the Bank of Upper Canada
. In 1864, he was elected to the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada
for Saugeen division and, in 1867, he was appointed to the Senate as a Conservative
and served until his death.
Macpherson was a member of the arbitration board that dealt with the financial issues associated with the creation of the separate provinces of Ontario
and Quebec
after Confederation
. He led the resistance in the Senate to John Rose's proposed changes to banking legislation and some of Macpherson's proposals made their way into the Bank Act of 1871.
He served as Speaker of the Senate from 1880 to 1883. In the early eighties, the legalization of marriage with a deceased wife's sister was under discussion in the Canadian Parliament. On the day that the bill received its second reading in the Red Chamber, the Sir David Macpherson invited Mrs. Susie Anna Gunhilda Wiggins, whose letters of support for the bill had gained attention, to take a seat on his right, an honour, which was never before accorded to any woman but the wife of a Governor-General. To commemorate his time as Speaker, Macpherson, as well as other Speakers of the Senate, had his name crafted in stained glass in the ceiling of the front foyer of the Senate Chamber.
Macpherson also served in cabinet as a Minister without Portfolio
from 1880 to 1883 and as Minister of the Interior
from 1883 to 1885. In later life, Macpherson suffered from diabetes and he spent part of the summer and fall each year recovering at spas in Germany
. He attempted to encourage settlement in western Canada along the planned route for the Canadian Pacific Railway
, but settlers found land in the western United States more attractive. Problems with land policy, unwillingness to take action and a basic lack of understanding in Macpherson's ministry of the concerns of the Métis people
helped set the stage for the North-West Rebellion
in 1885. He resigned from his cabinet post later that year.
He died at sea on August 16th, 1896 on board the steamship Labrador, in mid-ocean, and his remains were buried at sea.
, and his wife, Elizabeth Badgley, and granddaughter of the
Hon. John Molson
, member of the Executive and Legislative Councils of Lower Canada, and President of the Bank of Montreal. Elizabeth was born and educated in Montreal. The couple lived for forty years at their mansion, Chestnut Park, Toronto, Ontario. Lady Macpherson volunteered with the Toronto Ladies' Educational Association. Lady Macpherson died, after a long illness, at San Remo, Italy, March 23rd, 1894, aged 74. Her remains were cremated, and the ashes were deposited in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto. The Honourable William Miller, K.C., pronounced in the Senate a tribute to Sir David and Lady Macpherson after the former's death.
The couple had two sons and five daughters. Elizabeth Frances Dobell was the wife of Hon. R. R. Dobell, M.P., P.C., Quebec. Naomi Beckett was the wife of Thomas Beckett. Helen Bankes was the wife of Major Meyrick Bankes, Highland Light Infantry, London. Christina Ridout was the wife of P. F. Ridout, Esquire, Toronto. Isabel Louise Kirkpatrick was the wife of Sir G. E. Kirkpatrick, P.C., K.C.M.G., formerly Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, Toronto.
He was born in Castle Leathers in Inverness parish, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
in 1818 and came to Canada with his family in 1835. He became a clerk in the Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
office of his older brother's shipping business, which transported passengers and freight in Upper
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
and 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 1842, he became a senior partner in the business. In partnership with Alexander Tilloch Galt
Alexander Tilloch Galt
Sir Alexander Tilloch Galt, GCMG, PC was a politician and a father of Canadian Confederation.He was born in Chelsea, England, the son of Scottish novelist and colonizer, John Galt, and Elizabeth Tilloch Galt. He was a cousin of Sir Hugh Allan.Alexander Galt is interred in the Mount Royal Cemetery...
and Luther Hamilton Holton
Luther Hamilton Holton
Luther Hamilton Holton was a Quebec businessman and political figure. He represented Châteauguay as a Liberal member in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1880.- Early life and education :...
, Macpherson acquired the shares of the Montreal and Kingston Railway, knowing that their rail line was required as part of a planned railway connection between Montreal and Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
. He was part of a contracting firm formed to extend the Grand Trunk Railway
Grand Trunk Railway
The Grand Trunk Railway was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Michigan, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. The railway was operated from headquarters in Montreal, Quebec; however, corporate...
in Upper Canada. In 1853, he moved to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
. He helped set up the Toronto Rolling Mills Company which supplied track to the Grand Trunk. He also served as a director of the Bank of Upper Canada
Bank of Upper Canada
The Bank of Upper Canada was a Canadian bank established in 1821 under a Charter granted by the colony of Upper Canada in 1819. The incorporators were William Allan, Robert C. Horne, John Scarlett, Francis Jackson, William W. Baldwin, Alexander Legge, Thomas Ridout, his son Samuel Ridout, D’Arcy...
. In 1864, he was elected to the Legislative Council of the Province of Canada
Legislative Council of the Province of Canada
The Legislative Council of the Province of Canada was the upper house 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 province of Ontario...
for Saugeen division and, in 1867, he was appointed to the Senate 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...
and served until his death.
Macpherson was a member of the arbitration board that dealt with the financial issues associated with the creation of the separate provinces 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....
and Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
after Confederation
Canadian Confederation
Canadian Confederation was the process by which the federal Dominion of Canada was formed on July 1, 1867. On that day, three British colonies were formed into four Canadian provinces...
. He led the resistance in the Senate to John Rose's proposed changes to banking legislation and some of Macpherson's proposals made their way into the Bank Act of 1871.
He served as Speaker of the Senate from 1880 to 1883. In the early eighties, the legalization of marriage with a deceased wife's sister was under discussion in the Canadian Parliament. On the day that the bill received its second reading in the Red Chamber, the Sir David Macpherson invited Mrs. Susie Anna Gunhilda Wiggins, whose letters of support for the bill had gained attention, to take a seat on his right, an honour, which was never before accorded to any woman but the wife of a Governor-General. To commemorate his time as Speaker, Macpherson, as well as other Speakers of the Senate, had his name crafted in stained glass in the ceiling of the front foyer of the Senate Chamber.
Macpherson also served in cabinet as a Minister without Portfolio
Minister without Portfolio
A minister without portfolio is either a government minister with no specific responsibilities or a minister that does not head a particular ministry...
from 1880 to 1883 and as Minister of the Interior
Minister of the Interior (Canada)
The Minister of the Interior was a cabinet post responsible for federal land management, Indian affairs and natural resources extraction...
from 1883 to 1885. In later life, Macpherson suffered from diabetes and he spent part of the summer and fall each year recovering at spas in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He attempted to encourage settlement in western Canada along the planned route for the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
, but settlers found land in the western United States more attractive. Problems with land policy, unwillingness to take action and a basic lack of understanding in Macpherson's ministry of the concerns of the Métis people
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
helped set the stage for the North-West Rebellion
North-West Rebellion
The North-West Rebellion of 1885 was a brief and unsuccessful uprising by the Métis people of the District of Saskatchewan under Louis Riel against the Dominion of Canada...
in 1885. He resigned from his cabinet post later that year.
He died at sea on August 16th, 1896 on board the steamship Labrador, in mid-ocean, and his remains were buried at sea.
Family
David Lewis Macpherson married June 18th, 1844 Elizabeth Sarah Molson, daughter of William Molson, President of Molson BankMolson Bank
The Molson Bank was a Canadian bank founded in Montreal, Quebec, by brothers William and John Molson, Jr...
, and his wife, Elizabeth Badgley, and granddaughter of the
Hon. John Molson
John Molson
John Molson was an English-speaking Quebecer who was a major brewer and entrepreneur in Canada, starting the Molson Brewing Company.-Birth and early life:...
, member of the Executive and Legislative Councils of Lower Canada, and President of the Bank of Montreal. Elizabeth was born and educated in Montreal. The couple lived for forty years at their mansion, Chestnut Park, Toronto, Ontario. Lady Macpherson volunteered with the Toronto Ladies' Educational Association. Lady Macpherson died, after a long illness, at San Remo, Italy, March 23rd, 1894, aged 74. Her remains were cremated, and the ashes were deposited in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Toronto. The Honourable William Miller, K.C., pronounced in the Senate a tribute to Sir David and Lady Macpherson after the former's death.
The couple had two sons and five daughters. Elizabeth Frances Dobell was the wife of Hon. R. R. Dobell, M.P., P.C., Quebec. Naomi Beckett was the wife of Thomas Beckett. Helen Bankes was the wife of Major Meyrick Bankes, Highland Light Infantry, London. Christina Ridout was the wife of P. F. Ridout, Esquire, Toronto. Isabel Louise Kirkpatrick was the wife of Sir G. E. Kirkpatrick, P.C., K.C.M.G., formerly Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, Toronto.