Early life

Flesher was born in Duffield, Derbyshire

Derbyshire

Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...

, 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...

 in 1833, the son of Rev. John Flesher, a Methodist preacher and Jane (née Cawood) Flesher. He was educated in a collegiate institute at Ramsgate

Ramsgate

Ramsgate is a seaside town in the district of Thanet in east Kent, England. It was one of the great English seaside towns of the 19th century and is a member of the ancient confederation of Cinque Ports. It has a population of around 40,000. Ramsgate's main attraction is its coastline and its main...

.

Settler and businessman

Flesher emigrated to Canada West in 1847 at the age of 14 with his older brother William

William Kingston Flesher

William Kingston Flesher was surveyor and settler of southwestern Ontario, a militia officer, businessman and political figure...

, who was to become an MP and a prominent figure in the settlement of Grey County. John first settled in Flesherton, the village that his brother had founded, where he helped his brother operate a grist mill and saw mill. In 1855, he married Mary Ann Fowler, the only daughter of Rev. William Fowler of New York City; together they would raise twelve children, nine of whom survived infancy.

In 1857, he became the Flesherton post master, a position his brother had also held, but after six months, he resigned and moved his family to Albion, Ontario to open a store. He returned almost immediately to Grey County, then the following year, he purchased a mill property owned by his brother in Adjala Township

Adjala-Tosorontio, Ontario

Adjala-Tosorontio is a township in south-central Ontario, in the County of Simcoe. It was created in 1993 when the County of Simcoe Act merged the townships of Adjala and Tosorontio. The amalgamation took effect on January 1, 1994....

, where for the next ten years he manufactured flour and lumber. He also started his political career, serving as a school trustee.

In 1868, he moved to the village of Orangeville, Ontario

Orangeville, Ontario

Orangeville is a town in south-central Ontario, Canada, and the seat of Dufferin County.-History:Before European settlers, Orangeville was thought to be a native hunting ground...

, where he operated a store for a few years before switching to brokerage and conveyancing

Conveyancing

In law, conveyancing is the transfer of legal title of property from one person to another, or the granting of an encumbrance such as a mortgage or a lien....

. He also became a Master Mason.

Politician

When Orangeville was incorporated as a town in 1874, he was elected to the first town council, and served as councillor for several terms.

Flesher was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario

Legislative Assembly of Ontario

The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...

, representing the Cardwell district 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...

from 1875 to 1879, and was lauded as "a conscientous and earnest advocate of the principles of that party..."