James Cowan (Ontario politician)
Encyclopedia
James Cowan was an Ontario
farmer, businessman and political figure.
, Scotland
in 1803. Cowan came to Upper Canada
in 1834 and settled on a farm at Galt. In 1846, he helped found the Provincial Agricultural Association and Board of Agriculture for Canada West. He purchased a share in the firm Lutz and Cook which manufactured agricultural implements and became a partner after the death of Mr. Cook. When Waterloo County
was created, he was part of a group lobbying to have Galt named the chief town instead of Berlin (later Kitchener
).
Cowan ran unsuccessfully for the seat for Gore division in the legislative council in 1858. In 1860, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
for South Waterloo
; he was reelected in 1863. He originally supported the Reform Party
but later joined the Conservatives. He ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Canadian House of Commons
in 1867. Cowan was appointed to the Dominion Board of Arbitration, later becoming chairman.
He died at Galt in 1900.
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....
farmer, businessman and political figure.
Biography
He was born in PeeblesshirePeeblesshire
Peeblesshire , the County of Peebles or Tweeddale was a county of Scotland. Its main town was Peebles, and it bordered Midlothian to the north, Selkirkshire to the east, Dumfriesshire to the south, and Lanarkshire to the west.After the local government reorganisation of 1975 the use of the name...
, 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 1803. Cowan came to Upper Canada
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...
in 1834 and settled on a farm at Galt. In 1846, he helped found the Provincial Agricultural Association and Board of Agriculture for Canada West. He purchased a share in the firm Lutz and Cook which manufactured agricultural implements and became a partner after the death of Mr. Cook. When Waterloo County
Waterloo County, Ontario
Waterloo County, created in 1853 and dissolved in 1973, was the forerunner of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. It consisted of five townships: Woolwich, Wellesley, Wilmot, Waterloo, and North Dumfries...
was created, he was part of a group lobbying to have Galt named the chief town instead of Berlin (later Kitchener
Kitchener, Ontario
The City of Kitchener is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It was the Town of Berlin from 1854 until 1912 and the City of Berlin from 1912 until 1916. The city had a population of 204,668 in the Canada 2006 Census...
).
Cowan ran unsuccessfully for the seat for Gore division in the legislative council in 1858. In 1860, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada
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 South Waterloo
Waterloo County, Ontario
Waterloo County, created in 1853 and dissolved in 1973, was the forerunner of the Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. It consisted of five townships: Woolwich, Wellesley, Wilmot, Waterloo, and North Dumfries...
; he was reelected in 1863. He originally supported the Reform Party
Reform Party (pre-Confederation)
The Reform movement, sometimes referred to as the Reform Party, began in the 1830s as the movement in the English speaking parts of British North America . It agitated for responsible government....
but later joined the Conservatives. He ran unsuccessfully for a seat 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...
in 1867. Cowan was appointed to the Dominion Board of Arbitration, later becoming chairman.
He died at Galt in 1900.