Roderick Matheson was an 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....

 businessman and political figure. He was 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...

 member of the Senate of Canada from 1867 until his death.

Early life

He was born in Lochcarron

Lochcarron

Lochcarron is a village, community and civil parish in the Wester Ross area of Highland, Scotland. It has a population of 923.-Local Information:...

, Ross-shire

Ross and Cromarty

Ross and Cromarty is a variously defined area in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. There is a registration county and a lieutenancy area in current use...

, 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 1793 and came to 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...

 around 1806. He served with the Glengarry Fencibles during the War of 1812

War of 1812

The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

, reaching the rank of lieutenant. In 1817, he settled at the military settlement at Perth

Perth, Ontario

Perth is a town in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, Canada . It is located on the Tay River, 83 km southwest of Ottawa, and is the seat of Lanark County.-History:...

. Matheson operated a general store there and was a director of the Tay Navigation Company. In 1847, he was appointed 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...

 and, in 1855, he was made colonel and put in charge of the 1st military district of Canada West. He was named a Senator 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...

.

Private life

Matheson married Mary Fraser Robertson in Montreal on November 5, 1823. After she died giving birth to twins in 1825, he married Annabella Russel in Gavilock, Scotland on August 11, 1830. Matheson had four daughters and seven sons, one of whom, Arthur

Arthur Matheson

Arthur James Matheson was a Canadian lawyer and politician. He served as a Conservative Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario for Lanark South from 1898 to 1913, and was provincial treasurer from 1905 to 1913....

, later served as treasurer of Ontario.

Death

Roderick Matheson died of a stroke

Stroke

A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...

 in Perth in 1873. Matheson House

Matheson House (Perth)

Matheson House is a historic house in Perth, Ontario, Canada. It was constructed in 1840 for Roderick Matheson, a local merchant and later a member of the Senate of Canada....

, his former residence in Perth, is a National Historic Site of Canada and now serves as the Perth Museum.