Nathaniel Higinbotham 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...

 pharmacist and political figure. He represented Wellington North

Wellington North

Wellington North was a federal electoral district represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1867 to 1953. It was located in the province of Ontario....

 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...

 from 1872 to 1878 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...

 member.

He was born in County Cavan

County Cavan

County Cavan is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Ulster. It is named after the town of Cavan. Cavan County Council is the local authority for the county...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 and came to Canada in 1846, establishing himself as a chemist and druggist at Guelph

Guelph

Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...

. He served on the town council for Guelph, also serving as town mayor. He was a lieutenant-colonel for the local militia and served during the Fenian raids

Fenian raids

Between 1866 and 1871, the Fenian raids of the Fenian Brotherhood who were based in the United States; on British army forts, customs posts and other targets in Canada, were fought to bring pressure on Britain to withdraw from Ireland. They divided many Catholic Irish-Canadians, many of whom were...

. Higinbotham was defeated by George Alexander Drew

George Alexander Drew (Liberal-Conservative MP)

George Alexander Drew, QC was a Canadian lawyer, judge and political figure. He represented Wellington North in the Canadian House of Commons as a Liberal-Conservative member from 1867 to 1872 and from 1878 to 1882....

 for the federal seat in 1878. He later served as registrar for Wellington County

Wellington County, Ontario

Wellington County is a county located in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The county seat is Guelph, a city which is politically independent, but Guelph's status as the seat means it houses the county's administrative offices...

.

In 1862, he married Margaret Allan. Higinbotham died in Guelph at the age of 81.